


Little Doses

by addiction1510



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Amputee Peridot (Steven Universe), Angst, Body Horror, Child Death, Egg Laying, F/F, Fan Offspring, Fluff and Smut, Gem Egg Hell, Gemlings, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Miscarriage, Multi, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Oviposition, Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond Theory, tentadicks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 08:24:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 34,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4172778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addiction1510/pseuds/addiction1510
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garnet splits apart when Ruby and Sapphire go into heat, only for Sapphire to get a broken vision of the green gem they're hunting. When the Crystal Gems go to find her, they discover more than they bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A moan slipped free from Sapphire’s lips, feeling Ruby’s hot walls around her tighten and tense. She shifted a little, rolling her hips against the hot tunnel her slippery member was currently curling in. Each little breath between them almost seemed to hang in the air, and the red gem’s arms tightened around her when she hit a particularly sensitive spot.

“Please,” Ruby croaked after a few slow thrusts, her own slippery member trying to curl in on itself to get friction. “Faster.”

Sapphire took the time to draw out a couple more slow thrusts, hearing Ruby groan and whine with each one. After a moment she grinned and slowly started picking up the pace, feeling the other shift to try and get a better position. When she found that despite her arms around Sapphire’s neck and legs around her hips she couldn’t get where she wanted, she grunted and whimpered softly.

“Sapphire, I… It’s so hot, please… I…”

“Please what?” Who cared if they were in heat? Who cared if each little slow thrust burned and ached because she wasn’t going fast enough? This was the only time they ever defused, and she wasn’t going to waste it. She wanted to hear Ruby beg for her to go faster, harder, to fuck her brains out. She wanted to make up for not being able to hear it directly and not feeling such a hot and warm tunnel clenching around her so tightly it almost hurt.

“Harder,” she whimpered, letting go of her neck with one hand to bring Sapphire’s chin in a few inches closer before kissing her and drawing what little of her breath she had away. Their tongues were quickly meeting and fighting for dominance in an intense battle, and the blue gem was glad they didn’t actually need to breathe. It let her kiss passionately without worrying about fainting or dying.

After what felt like forever, she had to pull away. She granted Ruby what she had asked for, if only because she loved the current look her face, hot and flushed with just a little bit of drool on her chin, eyes half closed and almost unfocused, and her tongue half hanging out of her mouth as she panted uselessly. She gripped the other’s hips tightly at the sight, moving in for another kiss before she could stop herself.

The next kiss didn’t last as long, because her darling broke away. Ruby nuzzled against her neck, tried to meet her thrusts, and gritted her teeth in anguish. Oh, so she was already that close? She slowed down, and then stopped, despite her body screaming at her to get back to it. Sapphire wanted to see her face again, and it wouldn’t do if her face was buried in her neck.

“Why’d you stop?!” Ruby whined, pulling away. Tears were bubbling in the corners of her eyes, and did she ever look hot. Her chest was heaving and her member curling desperately as it leaked a clear mess between their stomachs.

“You know what I want to hear.” Her voice sounded much more even than she thought it would, and was rather proud of herself. Ruby, however, looked ready to burst. Literally and figuratively. She rolled her hips a couple times, seeking that last little push of friction she couldn’t get, before giving up.

“Pl-please! Fuck me Saph! I… I need it so ba-bad! It burns, a-and you’re so hot, I need you t-to… To please, just…”

She waited, watching her struggle for the right words as her orgasm slowly drifted away. Her member stopped curling and went lax, and a grin spread across Sapphire’s face as she started thrusting in and out of her lover, loving the little gasp that escaped and the long whine that bubbled out afterwards because she finally realised that it had slipped away from her, but at least now it felt better than before

After a few thrusts, Ruby pulled her into another deep kiss. Before their tongues met this time though, she pulled away, a thick string of drool connecting their lips. Instead of breaking it, Sapphire leaned in and licked it off Ruby’s bottom lip. It elicited another moan, and she grinned as she buried her head into the other’s shoulder. There was that one spot that Ruby had that sent her wild, and her lover was quick to use it by nibbling and sucking on the sensitive skin where her neck and shoulder met.

As a result, Ruby yelped before desperately humping after her exactly seven times from her count before she went limp, moaning and whining with each thrust. Her member was tightening up again, as was her walls, and Sapphire stopped just as a creamy colored bubble started to form on the tip of the red member. The resulting curses were music, and she pulled from her neck to kiss her. Their tongues were quick to dance, and Ruby was desperately humping against her again, so needy for the release she wasn’t being allowed. Eventually, the red gem pulled away and panted, glaring at her lover.

“F-fuck, Sa-Sapphire,” she growled through her teeth, grabbing gently at a handful of her long blue hair and gently tugging. “Fuck me s-senseless al-already! I lo-love you, s-so stop tea-tea…” Her breath hitched and she shuddered before trying to continue, “Teasing me! I ca-can’t take only getting the-these little do-doses of you! I… I… Sapphire, I ne-need you.”

Sapphire blinked slowly at her admission, grinning for a moment at her lovely little fighter before she started thrusting in and out of the smaller gem again. The little mewl that slipped out was just perfect, as was the resulting moans and gasps that slipped out. Another kiss, but this one was open mouthed and sloppy, not even caring to try and keep it at a normal kiss. 

It didn’t take long before she felt her own orgasm starting to build, and within moments, Ruby had unleashed a creamy white mess against their stomachs and was trying to meet her thrusts with a cry of her name. Sapphire was quick to follow her over the edge, releasing into her lovely’s hot tunnel with a moan of Ruby’s beautiful name.


	2. Chapter 2

On Earth, it happened after one and a half revolutions. Sapphire had found that out the hard way on their stay on the planet. Of course, it varied depending on the planet and the gem, but theirs was always routine and in synch, and this planet only made it more so. Staying fused as often as they did meant that it was perfectly in synch. At the moment, she couldn’t have been happier that was true.

With a curling member pressing in just the right spot, she couldn’t find much more to focus on other than it. A small keen was squeezed out of her, and she ground down on the other’s hips, her own member trying to get an ounce of friction by curling against her stomach. Ruby groaned underneath her, and she felt so hot inside that it was easily comparable to lava running through her geodesac.

Her climax was building up quickly, and she was certain Ruby’s was too. She wasn’t even at the point where she cared to tease her, because she  _needed_ it, something had to stop the burning, anything, but she knew it wouldn’t. It never did. Nothing stopped her burning during heat, try as she might to stop it, and there was very few times that Ruby’s was ever sated. Those were far between, and always ended up in tears when they had to bubble it away, because they both lacked the proper protein to save any of them.

“Sa-Sapph,” her lover whimpered, and she whined in response, jerking her hips harder against the other. Just a little more, and she’d be there. Just one more good curl against that bundle of nerves inside her that connected to her twitching and curling member, and she’d be spent.

However, that last curl never came. Instead, her vision flickered, and she had to pull off Ruby to see why her faulty and imperfect future vision was calling her attention, despite the burning in the pit of her stomach and the ache that filled her at being empty while so close.

“A-augh! Why’d you st-stop?” Ruby cried, twitching ad bucking against the empty air. Her member was curling and twitching against the spot where she had just been, both of their fluids covering it, and she wanted to just hop back on and ride until they both came, but she knew they wouldn’t be able to stop if she did, and the current mission was too important.

“I… Nnngh… Future vision,” she mumbled, crossing her legs and forcing her hands between them to hold her member still. Otherwise, she’d end up spilling her fluids in herself or be too desperate to move. “We gotta… Hnnnngg… I know where Peridot is,  but… Ha-hah… Move fast or we’ll…”

“Fine,” Ruby whimpered, trying to stay tough. Sapphire, however, was quite aware of the fact her lover was suffering just as much as she was. If not more so, she wasn’t sure if there was the familiar weight that burdened her lover in her this time, but she was almost certain there was. There were very few times that there wasn’t when Ruby went into heat, and they could never fuse while it was there. “Let’s… Let’s try fusing.”

A whine escaped her own lips, so fragile and weak that she was disgusted at herself for it, before she managed to get to her feet, albeit shakily. Ruby stood as well, and she could see in her eyes that the weight was there, but they had to try. Fusing made it easier to deal with sometimes, a fact both of them were aware of when the red gem picked up the singer and swung her around, their gems glowing. Their shapes started to dissolve into white light, before they were forced apart with a sharp and electric pain that ran through the both of them.

“Ugh!” came the frustrated groan from her lover, and Sapphire felt her heart sink when she realised what it meant. More pain for them both then, but at least she didn’t have to suffer through the weight, knowing that they wouldn’t accept what was offered, or if they did, they’d never turn out right. “Come on! Can’t I catch a break for  _once_?!”

“I’m sorry, love,” she sighed as she fazed her clothes back onto her body before crossing the few feet to her lovely little fighter. Her arms wrapped around her shoulders and she held her close, humming softly to calm her down despite the fact that her member was still curling desperately against her inner thigh.

“No it’s… It’s fine Sapphire. I’m… I’m sorry I can’t…”

“No, hush. We both know it’s not your fault, nor is it mine. They just weren’t thorough enough, and it’s not something we can fix. Now, come on, we have to get the other gems.”

* * *

It didn’t take long to get Amethyst and Pearl together. Their scent was everywhere in the temple, so the two were trying to distract themselves in Steven’s room by playing one of his games while he was with his dad. Away for the next couple weeks if possible, because he didn’t need to be around to see the two of them like this. Upon seeing the two of them, flushed and frustrated, the other Crystal Gems were quick to rush to the warp pad, knowing it was important if they had come out, and didn’t want to delay things.

“What’s wrong?” Sapphire wasn’t sure which one said it, but she gripped her gemmed hand that much tighter against Ruby’s when they started talking.

“We know where Peridot is. Come on.” No more discussion was needed. Pearl hid her blush by looking away, and Amethyst was giving them a dirty grin that she didn’t want to deal with at the moment. Sapphire would rather have punched her in that smug face of hers than deal with it for another moment, but she had to activate the warp pad, because she was the only one that knew where the green gem was. The light flooded the area, and everything disappeared besides the four of them.

It was so weird to think of things as the four of them instead of the three. They weren’t Garnet- they couldn’t be Garnet right now, not with that stupid weight pressing inside of Ruby and tearing her apart yet again- but they were still Crystal Gems, and they were still their separate selves. Together, or apart. A squeeze from her lover and she realised that she had focused on her thoughts again instead of their mission. The warmth and affection was returned, before she led the others off the pad, into the dense forest where she knew the mechanic was hiding from them, if only vaguely.

* * *

When they finally found her, she was laying. Ruby seemed more distressed about it than the singer was, but that probably had to do with never seeing that side of it all. Peridot had hid in a cave, and now there was pain and fear in her eyes that pleaded for her life and the ones inside of her, even when she couldn’t formulate more than a broken scream. She felt herself freezing to the spot for only an instance before she knew she had to help the young gem that had never heard of them before meeting them. Something wasn’t right.

“Pearl. Pearl, we have to help her. Something’s not right, and we can’t just let her suffer,” she found herself saying. Pearl had frozen as well, and glanced her way when she spoke, before nodding and swallowing. She had the same weight in her during her heat as her mate, and knew just as well as Sapphire did as to what they had to do. Otherwise, there was no telling what would happen without their help.

“I… I know. Amethyst, Ruby, you should probably-”

“I’m out. I can’t see this. Not… Not right now. I’m going to wait outside.” So Ruby did, and Amethyst was quick to join her, looking terrified and a mix of other emotions that Sapphire couldn’t read.

“She’s screaming a lot,” Pearl murmured, and they walked over to the green gem, who kicked and squirmed away, tears streaking her cheeks. She tried to have some dignity, trying to cover her gaping and dripping core, and Sapphire knew that it only hurt her more to do so. “She’s leaking a lot too. More than she should be.”

“I know. I don’t like this. Hey, Peridot. We’re going to help you, if only because we don’t want you to end up suffering and having to regenerate with a sac full of geodes. Stop moving, or you’ll only make it worse.” Her response was a scream that choked off halfway through with a sob, and the other spreading her legs. Sapphire knew she had to be in tremendous pain, but they couldn’t let her go through it alone. Steven had rubbed off on them too much, and she could vaguely see the consequences of letting her suffer, which was no fun for anyone. She took her position between the other’s thighs as Pearl moved to sit behind her and hold her to calm her down, and she could see the first bit of a slimy green shell that didn’t look quite right. In fact, it almost looked… cracked.


	3. Chapter 3

Five. Five out of thirteen. The rest were cracked, shattered, or otherwise destroyed. Peridot sobbed out and held the remaining ones close to her, because there was nothing else to hold. The runt had made it, a small orange geode that spoke volumes as to where it had been sired from, while the remaining four were green, one with lighter stripes across the shell and another with darker. Sapphire couldn’t dare to look at the mess that had came out of her, because it was bloody and disgusting, and she knew it had- in a way- been their fault.

The green gem had herself to blame, really. She took off instead of staying on the ship, and if she had, then she wouldn’t have crashed. Which meant the geodes would have made it. However, there was no changing it now, and she refused to let herself feel sympathy for the space gem before them.

Pearl seemed to be more uncomfortable with it than she was, but she was staying by the sobbing carrier gem and trying to comfort her. Whether it was because they shared a class or because she didn’t want to bring her to the house a mess- if they had to at all, Sapphire would have been fine with leaving her there and letting the remaining geodes rot, if Steven never had to know- she had wrapped an arm around her and whispered soft words that seemed to help stem the tears.

“I’m going to get Ruby and Amethyst,” she finally told the two of them after watching the gems for a few minutes, and Pearl could only offer a nod as Peridot seemed to start sobbing harder. Her hands gripped the geodes closer to her chest, and Sapphire was vaguely aware of the fact they wouldn’t make it anyways.

Too much trauma aside, their government had removed the protein that allowed their geodes to develop correctly. Some gems like herself didn’t even have the problem anymore. She hadn’t in a long time. Her dear Ruby though, she still suffered with it. Most of the time, they couldn’t be fertilised, and when they were, they never hatched, no matter what they tried, because the protein was lacking, and nothing would save the little ones from never getting to be.

* * *

By the time they had finally gotten Peridot to the temple, she had passed out and the sun had set. Steven was with Greg, thankfully, and Pearl easily moved the unconscious form and the geodes clustered with her to the heart of the temple. Since their little boy had no clue that they had found Peridot, it would be easy to bubble her useless spawn and her gem. Just as she picked up the runt to do so, their prisoner stirred, and she wished she had stayed asleep. Would have made things easier.

“H-huh? Where am…” Her surroundings seemed to catch up to her, and a strangled noise escaped her upon seeing the geode in Sapphire’s hand. She wasn’t sure why. It was an empty husk without the protein her body wouldn’t produce, so why was she so upset about them anyways. “Please! Don’t smash it! I… I’ve only got a few left as is… I was supposed to… Please, just let it hatch… I don’t care what you do with me, but-”

“It won’t hatch,” Ruby snapped sharply, and she grabbed her hand, calming her lover down slightly by simply pressing their warm gems together. Geodes were such a hard subject for her, especially with her own starting to form, and Sapphire wished that they would, just once. “They never do.”

“Huh? Of course it will! They assured me when they gave me the vial that it would, and it would be an easy mission and a safe place to–”

“Whoa, whoa. What are you talking about?” Amethyst chipped in, and she was quite confused herself. Geodes had been all but erased for a reason. What was the green gem talking about?

“I… I’m a carrier gem. When I entered my first heat, they found out, and wanted to use it to their advantage. So they… They gave me a case with these vials in it, and assured me that as long as I mated with another gem while in heat, the geodes would hatch… My mission was supposed to be with Jasper on our way here, and… It was supposed to be my first clutch…”

“How old are  you then?” Excellent question, Pearl. She couldn’t have asked better herself.

“I-I… I’m almost five Homeworld revolutions.”

“You’re practically a child!” Pearl screeched, and her world seemed to freeze. She was even younger than Steven. Steven was approaching upon his sixth revolution in a few rotations, and she wasn’t even five. It hurt her head to think so, but everything made sense. If they thought Earth was abandoned by gems, it would be an easy mission for a young gem, especially one that would be carrying at the time. Everything seemed to blur together at that as it consumed her thoughts, and she noticed at some point that someone took the geode away. Whatever.

Before she knew it, Peridot had opened a section of her arm and produced two vials filled with bright green liquid. She briefly considered joining in the conversation, but knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on it if she did so, instead focusing on the gentle hold Ruby had on her hand. It almost seemed fragile, like she was scared. A gentle squeeze to her hand, and the red gem turned to smile at her weakly and wearily, before their prisoner offered a vial to the two of them, and part of her knew it was a good idea to pay attention then.

“You’re… You’re in heat. I can feel it. Not too far along, because you wouldn’t have gone to find me if you were, but… You should take it. I don’t need the extras, and… Think of it as an offering. If not to let me live, then to let them. Please let my girls live.” Ruby took the vial, and nodded silently, and she was glad her lover had been paying attention to the young gem. The vial seemed so small and insignificant, but her fighter held it with great care.

* * *

When the made it back to their room, the vial was the main thing on Sapphire’s mind. Ruby stared at it, sitting across her gem, and her emotions were hard to read. Why wouldn’t it be? A possible future rested in her hands, a way to save the ones developing inside her, and she knew what her lover wanted to do. She wanted her to do it too.

“Drink it. I know you want to. This time, we can save them, and your efforts won’t be wasted.”

“Should I, though? I don’t have the right to bring them into this world with the war coming up. I don’t… I couldn’t raise them right. We wouldn’t even know what to do, and… And…”

“And you’re scared.”

“Yes.” It was so soft and defeated, and she pulled Ruby into a tight hug, which was returned with one arm. After a moment, she pulled away, and the other barely met her gaze, holding the vial tight. “I… Should I? Really? Are we ready for this?”

“Oh, hun,” Sapphire mumbled, pulling her lover close again and feeling the way she melted against her. “I think we are. We’ve been together for thousands of years, and if humans that have only been together a few are, well… We sure are.”

A nod, and the vial’s contents were downed. Sapphire knew it would take a while, and hoped it wasn’t too late for those that were developing inside of her wonderful and perfect lover. Only time could tell.


	4. Chapter 4

A hot heat enveloped her curling member, and she couldn’t focus on anything but the way the other’s walls tugged and pulled and how great it felt, along with the way her lover was drooling and moaning. It was so hot, and a whine escaped her as she jerked and twitched inside her lover. She felt pleasure overtake her and she rocked harder against the other, barely registering the fact that she had filled her with her fluids. Everything was a blur of pleasure, and her insides burned so much. Ruby whined and cried out underneath her, her curling member jerking before coating them both in her fluids again, adding another layer to the ones coating them both already.

Before she could attempt to think of what to do, her back was against the ground and her lips had been claimed, the other’s desperate member pressing into her core and she couldn’t help but moan, letting in the other’s tongue. She felt so  _full_ and Ruby’s tongue played through her lips, drawing out more moan as she jerked and rolled.

Her thoughts left her as it was replaced with pure pleasure, whining and moaning for hours. Occasionally, Sapphire would push the other down and ravage her, filling her to the brim with her fluids, before Ruby would take back over and do the same to her. Thankfully, they had no need for food or water, and didn’t have to break apart, so intense as their time together during heats were. Weeks felt like hours, and they only really stopped when the burning was finally,  _finally_ , gone.

Their senses slowly came back to them, and by the time they were back fully, both of them were too exhausted to move after such a long time fucking each other like animals. Fluids covered them both, new and old, and everything felt sore. No words were needed- they never were- before they curled against each other in their glowing state, purring and falling asleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

It took two days after their heats ended to clean up the mess they had made. It was gross, to know that some of the dried fluid was a week old or more, but they couldn’t afford letting it sit there any longer. When they had first cleaned themselves, it had taken hours to clean each and every drop of the fluid away, but it was worth it in the end for the state of pure pleasure they would go through in their heats.

In the midst of cleaning a particularly hard and stubborn mark, she heard Ruby mumbling to herself, growing concerned for her lover before a set of arms wrapped around her shoulders, a head resting atop hers.

“Sapphire… It feels like before. I… I can’t go through that again, I can’t…” Oh. Oh jeez. Did she mean that the green liquid had worked? She could always tell by the weight. Unfertilised eggs were lighter, and passed through her after a couple weeks. On the rare occasion that Sapphire had actually managed to fertilise one, they were always heavier, and took at least a month before they left her lover. They had never had a chance of hatching before, but maybe now…

“Peridot said they’d hatch, and you felt hers. They were heavy, and that means they had something inside them.”

“What if we can’t trust her? What if she’s lying? What if she was lied to? What if it’s just like before, and we wait and wait and wait, but  _nothing happens_? I can’t… I’m so sick of it Sapphire… They’re so useless and I hate going through this. I always feel so alone, and they never hatch. I just want them to once… Just once.”

“You’re not alone. You have me,” she murmured, shifting for a moment before pulling her lover into her lap, cradling her like she knew she loved. A soft purr emanated from Ruby, though she didn’t acknowledge it, and Sapphire knew better than to try doing so herself.

“It’s different. We can’t fuse and it’s… I hate it.”

“You know we can’t stay fused all the time anyways. We need time apart, and you never mind while we’re in heat.” The other’s brows furrowed, and she started purring to ease her nerves.

“But we’re still close and intimate together, and no one bothers us. I… I don’t have to deal with the other gems, besides before I pass the geodes.” Hearing her soft words, she pressed a warm kiss to her forehead, just a simple kiss to comfort her instead of showing her anything. Ruby sighed softly, melting against her. They fit so perfectly together, it was almost like they were made to be just like this, and she knew in a way, that they had been made to fit together, but not like this. Their crystals had been connected before they had been made, but that had been so long ago.

“Shhh, I know. You’ll be okay. I know it. I’m here with you, and I’ll try not to leave your side unless I have to. You’re my little precious stone, and I’ll always love you. If you want, after you have them we can fuse again the moment you’re rested.” There was a pause, and Ruby put a hand on her stomach, her emotions clear with distress, fear, and worry.

“I… Okay, Sapphire. I’m not sure what I want to do about fusing yet, but, I’m glad to know I have you. You’re so amazing… I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Ruby.”

* * *

It took two days after their heats ended before they were sure of the weight growing inside of Ruby was heavier than normal, for the most part. They had only had three times that the weight had been heavy, and they had never hatched. Hopefully this wouldn’t be the fourth.

Another two passed before they told the other gems and were in turn told that their prisoner had been introduced to Steven while they were busy, and another three passed before the five of them had it in them to tell Steven about her geodes and everything that went with it. He took the initial telling that she had geodes well, and didn’t interrupt until Pearl had finished telling him the basics and was ready to start questioning them.

“So… Geodes are like…. Eggs?” He started, a questioning look on his face. Ruby looked uneasy at the comparison, but Amethyst was quick to nod.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Amethyst!” Pearl shrieked, and Sapphire held Ruby’s hand again with a sigh. She wished they would just fuck and get over it. It was hard to watch them constantly fight like this.

“Steven, I suppose you could see them as kin to eggs, but they aren’t the same. Geodes have a shinier shell, the colour of which varies depending on the gem developing inside. If no gem is developing inside, it’s a duller colour of the gem that spawned it. Besides that, the components are mostly made of minerals and such from which the young gem forms,” the blue gem told the young boy, and he seemed to be taking it all in, his brows furrowed.

“Okay… How come you guys never had any before? And how come my mom had me like she did, and didn’t just lay an egg?” Ruby squeezed her hand and Sapphire’s breath caught in her throat, but before she could say anything, Peridot was quick to pipe up.

“When gems were a younger race, they altered our gem blueprints to allow for reproduction because some planets couldn’t handle the machinery necessary for Kindergartens, and others didn’t have the resources. However, the decision was found to be faulty, and they decided upon removing a certain protein our physical forms made to allow proper geode development, but didn’t bother with removing the ability to fertilise them, because there would be none to fertilise. Some gems ended up losing the ability entirely, while other gems- known now as carrier gems- kept the ability, but couldn’t have them fertilised because the lack of the protein meant that the geodes wouldn’t accept the material.”

Steven took it all in, and Sapphire had to take a moment to go over what she had said herself. It was true, but she wasn’t sure how well their young gem would understand it. His brows stayed furrowed for a few minutes, before glancing at them again, seeming uneasy.

“Are you a carrier gem, Peridot?”

“I am.”

“What about the rest of you? Are any of you carrier gems?” At his question, Ruby squeezed her hand that much tighter and her breathing picked up. Knowing what was about to happen, she pressed her own gem to Ruby’s and leaned over to give her a warm nuzzle.

“Ruby and I are,” Pearl answered for her, and she felt grateful the ballerina had answered for them. She was aware of how Ruby got while talking about their shared problem, and knew it would be impossible for her to get it out.

“Okay.” He paused, looking at his lap. “Was my mom?”

“No, Steven. You were it,” Sapphire assured the young boy, and he seemed to brighten slightly at that.

“How did you end up having geodes then, Peridot, if the protein was removed?”

“Well, recently, the gem species is getting low. More soldier gems are being smashed in battle than we can produce in Kindergartens, and when they discover a carrier gem, they give them a couple vials containing a vibrant green liquid that works to change their physical forms so they can produce the protein again. In truth, it could be applied to any gem, but more would be needed for gems that don’t already produce geode husks.” Ruby swayed while their prisoner talked, and she pulled her closer so the other could lean on her.

“Why didn’t gems just fix it themselves when they regenerated? I thought you guys could do whatever you wanted with your physical forms.”

“If it’s within the limits to our blueprints. The protein wasn’t there for us to try and make, so we couldn’t change it. When gems regenerate too much, their blueprints get damaged and they become corrupt. If a gem did try to change their form to produce it, they could end up becoming corrupt from trying to change things that can’t be changed.”

“Alright… So… When the geodes hatch, what’ll come out?”

“Gemlings is what they’re called, and they’re practically the same as human infants. They need nutrients fed to them, and grow at a slower rate than humans. Most actually can’t control themselves much more than humans do,” Pearl explained, and Amethyst pursed her lips.

“So they’re like… Babies?”

“Pretty much, yes. From what I remember about gemlings, they’re a little smaller than you were when you were born.” It seemed that Pearl had everything under control, and she started to pull the other away, knowing she was overwhelmed by the situation, before Steven seemed to notice.

“Wait, why are you two unfused anyways?” Damn. She had hoped he would let it go, but it seemed not. Ruby squeezed her hand tightly, and she squeezed back, hearing her breathing getting faster and out of control at the direct confrontation.

“Because, Peridot had extra vials, and she gave one to us. We’re… We’re expecting geodes ourselves, Steven,” she told him, and his eyes brightened. He jumped up from the couch, running over to wrap them both in a tight hug.

“That’s great! Congrats!” Ruby froze, and she held him with one hand, the other holding tightly onto her lover’s hand.

“Thank you, Steven,” the fighter mumbled, barely returning her hug in her overwhelmed state.

“Yes, thank you. Now, please let us go. Ruby is a bit overwhelmed right now, and she needs to be away from this. Is that okay?” He let go and nodded, smiling at the two of them. She returned the smile slightly, waving a farewell to the young boy as she led her lover to their room.

Ruby needed time to calm down, and Sapphire was there to sit her down and wrap her arms around the other, planting gentle kisses on her neck. A shaky breath escaped her, slowly melting into her singer’s embrace as she worked to calm her down. She gave a few gentle nips here and there, her fighter a warm and purring mess against her in moments. It didn’t take long, and it never did. Eventually, Ruby grabbed her hands gently, her breathing slow and steady now.

“Sa-Sapphire… I’m so sensitive still, and I can’t control my shaft right now… They’re starting to press on my… Nnnngh… If you don’t stop, I’ll…” She pulled away, nuzzling against the other’s neck warmly.

“Do you want me to stop? I can keep going if you want, or I can stop. Your choice,” she murmured, and Ruby gripped her hand tighter, biting her bottom lip.

“I… Don’t. Please,” she whimpered softly, and she pressed another kiss to her neck before coating it in warm and loving kisses and gentle nips.  One hand moved under her shirt to her chest, rubbing her stomach gently and knowing that her lover had a weight growing inside her that might actually have a chance this time. Before too long, she could hear her lover panting and knew her member was curling against her shorts. She stopped for a moment to glance up and assure herself of this before pressing her hand to the lump in the fabric, getting a loud whine out of it.

“Oh Ruby. You want me to touch you?” A frantic nod answered her, along with a whimper. She slowly pulled the shorts down, exposing the small red tentacle she loved to see so much. Her gentle hand pressed to the underside of it, feeling it pulse slightly under her touch. “Oh, look at you. You need this, don’t you?”

“S-so bad,” Ruby whispered, and she felt the other twitch before curling around her hand.

“You love this, don’t you? Want something in you, love?” A nod answered each question, and she moved her hand down enough to press two fingers into her core, the tentacle curling around her wrist. When the fingers twitched, Ruby whined and squirmed in her grip. It was delicious, and she loved it. She felt the other grabbing her arm by the elbow, holding her close as her own free hand moved from under her shirt to tangle in her lover’s hair, pulling her head back enough she could give her a hungry kiss.

It didn’t take much more before Ruby came, her hips rolling and loud whines escaping her lips with each twitch of the fingers buried inside her. She loved it, and felt her own member curling against her thighs, but ignored it, more worried about her lover and the state she was in. Her fingers slowly withdrew when Ruby was down from her high, and she brought them to her lips, sucking the material off before she pulled her lover into her lap.

“Thanks… You always know how to get me to relax, huh?” her lover mumbled quietly, and she nuzzled into her neck, not minding the fluids covering the little fighter. Ruby cuddled against her, purring softly and blushing when she felt the tentacle pressing against her before getting a purr back in response. “ Do you want me to…?”

“I’m happy as long as you are, so don’t worry about it. I want you to just sit here with me and relax, okay? Your senses get so overwhelmed so easy, and I know sitting here with you eases you.”

“Thank you…”

“You get worked up so easy when you’re carrying because of your hormones being so out of whack, and I’m happy to help you when you can’t control yourself,” she hummed, and Ruby smiled, her eyes drifting shut slowly.

“Mmm…” Before she knew it, Ruby was asleep in her arms, a loud and purring mess, and completely precious. Sapphire wouldn’t have had it any other way.


	5. Chapter 5

Sitting in the temple with her geodes, Peridot stared at the shells of her young. There was no guarantee that they were going to make it, especially not with how she had landed. They probably wouldn’t, and it’d be all her fault. She should have landed better, but she didn’t, and now… Eight of them were smashed, and the rest were probably too traumatised to hatch. Tears bubbled in her eyes, and she hated it.

Stupid Homeworld authorities. Stupid Crystal Gems for making her crash. Stupid self, for crashing instead of landing correctly.

She ran her fingers over the geodes, her hands shaking too bad to hold them. She preferred the gloves, because at least they didn’t shake. She sniffled, tears bubbling up in her eyes before streaking her cheeks. The green gem put down the orange runt, sniffling. Her legs pulled to her chest, she buried her face against the prosthetics and let out a sob. Couldn’t she do anything right?

The geodes were probably as useless as her first ones had been, and she was going to sit here with them and watch them rot, wasn’t she? It was all her fault. The liquid had been the reason her legs had been shattered when she had reformed, and now… It would be useless. Her legs were gone, and for nothing.

A startled squeak escaped the green gem when the door opened, and she turned around quickly, a sigh escaping her when she noticed it was just Steven. He slowly walked over, biting his bottom lip as he walked over to her.

“P-Peridot?” he asked weakly, and she smiled despite the tears on her face.

“Hey, Steven. What uh… What brings you here?” she asked after a moment, glad her voice was as solid as it was. The older of the two sat beside the carrier gem, staring at the geodes.

“I was wondering… Are you okay? I mean, the eggs–”

“Geodes.”

“The geodes that didn’t make it had to be hard on you, and you seem to spend a lot of time in here with these, so I wanted to make sure that you were okay and all.”

“I appreciate you coming to check on me Steven. The fact that I lost so many is incredibly hard,” she sighed, and he put a warm hand on her shoulder. She glanced to the older gem and smiled despite herself. “I… I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“Before. I tried to kill you, let Jasper knock you out, tried to hit you with the gem destabilizer, and… Everything. I’m sorry.” His arms wrapped around her in a tight hug, startling her and causing her to freeze. She hadn’t been expecting that in the slightest, and yet, here he was. Hugging her after all she had done. The tears bubbled again, streaking her cheeks silently as he held her.

“Aw, don’t worry about it Peri! I know you didn’t mean to, and I knew you were a good person!” he assured her, and she wanted to tell him not to call her that, but couldn’t bring herself to. He was so nice, and she felt something. Loved, perhaps? For the first time in her life, Peridot could honestly say she felt loved, and it felt so wonderful. A strangled sob escaped her before she could felt it, and she shattered in his arms. “Peri? Are you okay?”

She couldn’t even answer him, sobbing and shaking in his grip. No one had ever complimented her before, let alone said she was a good person. On Homeworld, she had just been an asset to farther the dying race, and here, she was more than that, because Steven had called her a good person, and he barely even knew her, but it still felt like she actually mattered for once.

Even when she had mated with Jasper, it had been cold and distant. She hadn’t even got off, left alone in her heat addled state. The tears had came then, just as easily as they came now, because she had hated herself for having to do anything of the sort, but it had been part of her mission. All for nothing, because they hadn’t even made more than a small gem could have, because the rest were destroyed, and it was her fault.

“Please don’t cry! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry!” She choked down a sob, wrapping her arms around him.

“I-I’m so-sorry, Ste-Steven. I’ve… I’ve just ne-never had anyone sa-say anything like th-that to me,” she gasped, managing to keep her voice together enough that she could talk to the youngest Crystal Gem.

“That’s ridiculous! You’re pretty cool. I mean, you took the time to explain things to me about the eggs- er, geodes, and, you seemed so happy when you were talking about it. You even took the time to apologise to me!” She smiled at him through her tears, shaking with repressed sobs. “I care about you, Peridot.”

“I… I care about you too, Steven.”


	6. Chapter 6

A warm hand came to rest on her stomach, and Ruby let out a soft sigh. Her stomach was starting to swell, though not very noticeably so yet. It wouldn't, not really. It would more than likely stay about the same size as now, unless she was carrying more than she thought and had before. Normally her geode numbers would range from four to five, but that was before meeting Peridot. Some of the previous ones could have been absorbed by her body before she laid them, all but those few who had been laid with no signs of life but a blue tint to their shells that showed they had at least accepted some, and her heart ached to remember them and what they could have been when she knew she couldn't have helped.

 

There had been so many heats now where she had felt the same weight, if only for a few weeks, before they had been bubbled and put away. Their shells had even been too dark to have accepted a single drop of what Sapphire gave her, and it hurt; not just physically, even if it did hurt when they were leaving her body. It hurt to hold a dead geode, and know she was going to have to hold countless more just like it, because there wasn't a fix for it, there was no cure.

 

Or at least, that's what they had thought, but Peridot seemed to be telling them otherwise. Could she really believe her though? Every part of her was screaming no, they couldn't, because they had spent revolutions on Earth trying to find one themselves, but she could never really be sure how much gem technology had developed since they had rebelled so long ago. The real question seemed to be, why would she believe the green gem? After all, she had came on a mission to destroy Earth and all life on it with the Kindergarten tech, so why wouldn't she lie about the geodes she had carried to spare her own life?

 

Peridot's face when she had seen her after she had laid her geodes, holding the five remaining little ones against her chest because the others hadn't made it past her crash, so terrified and yet heartbroken for the ones that never got to be, flashed through her head when she thought about the possibility of her lying. No, it wasn't fair to the green gem to say she would lie. After all, the mechanic had obviously cared a lot about the geodes that hadn't made it, and she wouldn't lie to her about that, as it wouldn't benefit her in any way to lie about the possibility of her geodes hatching.

 

What if she had been lied to, though? That was a possibility, as her superiors could have always lied to her about what was going to happen, and the very idea terrified her. She couldn't stand to hold another egg, and see Sapphire's face drop when there was no life, no future present for their little ones, no possibility of them making it because there was never a chance, nor would there ever be. She just couldn't.

 

She slowly rubbed circles over her stomach, trying to calm herself down and focus on something else besides those thoughts. She could feel the slight swell of the geodes inside her geodesac, and hoped more than anything they would make it this time, just the once at least. Just as tears started to swell in her eyes, she heard the door to her and Sapphire's room open. As the only other one who could open the door was Sapphire, she wasn't surprised to see her standing the doorway when she looked up.

 

"Hey Sapphire," she greeted as her lover slowly glided over to her, sitting next to her on the ground. A pair of arms wrapped around her, and she leaned into them, enjoying the presence of her darling singer. Preferring to be as close to possible to each other when they couldn't fuse, she tucked her head under her head and purred, getting a loud purr back as Sapphire put a hand on her stomach and rubbed circles on it slowly like she had herself before the blue gem had came in.

 

"Hello, Ruby. How are you feeling today?" The red gem shrugged, nuzzling into her lover as she purred. Sapphire ran her other hand through her hair and she melted, adoring the attention she received from her significant other and how perfect they fit together.

 

"Not sick, so that's a plus." Gently, her lover's fingers swirled over her shirt, before reaching the bottom. It was getting a bit too tight, making it a bit harder for Sapphire to roll it up over her stomach than it normally would have been. She would have to make another one, or else it could end up damaging her from being too tight.

 

"I'm glad to hear so, my darling precious stone." Ruby couldn't hide a snort at the old term of endearment and affection, snuggling into Sapphire's embrace as her white gloves dissolved. Feeling the other's bare fingers against her stomach increased the volume of her purr, and she felt Sapphire's other hand grab hers. Her gem pressed into a blank palm, but she didn't mind at the moment, enjoying the patterns her lover was tracing on her stretched skin.

 

"I love you," she sighed, and she felt the other starting to trace a bit lower. It pressed against a sensitive spot and she whimpered despite her best efforts not to. Her physical form wasn't really meant to stretch without gem powers being involved, so having it do so because of something inside her made the skin incredibly sensitive over it, and Sapphire knew it. "Don't."

 

"I love you too, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I promise." The warm fingers moved back up, tracing gently over her swelling stomach. She let out a soft sigh after a moment, melting against the woman she loved so much. "Ruby, I want to know, honestly. Does it feel any different this time?"

 

She paused to think about it, picking at the fabric of her lover's dress. Did it feel any different? Heavier than normal, yes, and not just one or two. All of them felt heavier than she was used to, and she hoped that was a good sign. There was honestly no telling if it was or not, as she had only carried one or two during every litter that dared have more weight to it. This time felt like more than usual, heavier, and so much different than any of the other times she had ever carried, but she wasn't sure how to put it into words. "Yes. Heavier than even the few times I've carried a fertilised one, and it feels like there's more this time. And... I have this strange feeling in my gut I can't quite place."

 

"What does it feel like?" her lover asked curiously, and she furrowed her brows as she thought of how she wanted to explain it. It was different this time, and she wanted her to know that it was different, but didn't know how to exactly say so.

 

"Heavier, and feels like more than usual," she eventually settled on, and Sapphire paused for a moment before nodding. Her hand splayed across Ruby's stomach, drawing a the volume on her deep purring that much higher just by the simple contact alone.

 

"Makes sense, I suppose. Do you think they'll make it?" That was the main question, wasn't it? She nuzzled into her chin, wishing that she hadn't asked that. It was impossible to really say if they would or not, and there were so many futures waiting for them that they couldn't even see right now, and she hated not being fused with her. It hurt being apart, but they couldn't stay fused all the time. If they geodes hatched after she had laid them, then they would have to separate more often to take care of their little ones, or else they might not develop properly, and she hated it.

 

"I... I'm not sure. I can hope, sure, but... There's not a lot of good hoping will do." Sapphire nuzzled against her before kissing her temple, comforting her with simple affection. Slowly, the blue gem shifted and they laid back against the ground, Ruby's head on her chest as Sapphire held her.

 

"At least we can hope together." At least that was true. They had each other now, and even if they couldn't fuse to be together forever, they still had this moment together, holding onto each other in their rooms and hoping for a future, even a single one, for their geodes that could be.

 

"Yeah... You're right. I love you," she mumbled, knowing that there was these little moments together  awaiting them for the next few weeks as they waited with bated breaths for the geodes to leave her so they could fuse and hope for one future where they had a chance, where they were more than useless chunks of rotting material waiting inside bubbles because neither could bring themselves to smash them and no better opportunity presented itself.

 

"I love you too." The hand holding hers tightened it's grip and silence descended upon them comfortably. The only real sounds were the sources of purring between the two as they laid together, holding hands. Sapphire's hand went back to tracing warm and gentle patterns on her sensitive skin, and Ruby couldn't have been happier than she was at that moment, there with Sapphire, even if there was a chance their little ones wouldn't make it again.


	7. Chapter 7

Lithe fingers dragged through the calm and perfect water, disturbing the peacefulness of the top layer. Underneath the cool exterior, it was moving, pulsing, and pushing towards the edge of the bowl, and the graceful dancer felt, at that moment, just like the water she had perched herself on. Peaceful on the outmost layer, while a swirling storm that was tumbling towards the edge of oblivion before pouring out for a seemingly endless eternity, and finally collecting in a pool of emotions she did her best not to show, but always failed at hiding from a single soul. A beautiful analogy, if she did say so herself, because she was a mess of curling and twisting emotions she couldn't really control, while trying to stay as calm as possible about it- and of course, always failing- and thinking of that hurt in a way she wasn't sure how to describe if anyone ever asked her to.

 

Garnet was having geodes in a few weeks, and it was an odd thing to consider, because Pearl wasn't sure how to feel about it. Shouldn't she be happy for their possible family? Instead, the Crystal Gem was distressed about more small creatures to help clean up after and care for because they were more than likely going to fuse again before they hatched and would need the help and the fact an impending war was surely coming; just thinking about it felt weird, akin calling them Garnet, because they weren't her at the moment, instead Ruby and Sapphire, but they were only halves of her, and she still existed in their love. Would it be best to say the two of them were having gemlings, or to stick to Garnet, because the only reason they weren't her was because she couldn't fuse? The hand that had swirled through the gentle water moved to press her two first fingers on either side of her gem, fighting off the headache the oldest Crystal Gem was giving herself. The entire topic was getting to be incredibly complex and troublesome to think too much of, and she was doing exactly that while she had the privacy to do so, but she couldn't bring herself to stop, nor find the will to want to stop.

 

Pearl pulled her knees closer to her abdomen, resting her chin that much heavier on the limbs as she held them close with her free arm. Was it fair to be jealous of their love, really? She hated herself for it, because they deserved the happiness they got. They worked hard to have their love, and they fit so perfectly together, had been practically made for each other, and rarely did they ever see differently from one another. She hated herself for saying it, but she was jealous of their love, and hated having it rubbed so much so in her face. Not that they meant to, no, all they had done was deconstruct Garnet's physical form willingly, because she was sick of dealing with her heat alone and they weren't going to- they weren't alone after all, never- and now they had to wait for Ruby's weight to leave her physical form.

 

And possibly produce gemlings.

 

That seemed to be the hardest part of it all to process for Pearl. For so long they had danced around the problem, because they couldn't find a way to fix it. On Homeworld, they had had teas, herbs, pills, something, to ease the ache inside a gem while in heat, so they could fight on the field and not worry about mating. Without them, it had been hard to get through it all. She spent five thousand earth years dealing with the burning in her genesac alone, trained and fought to keep the thoughts away, as it hard only drove her that much closer to losing her sanity when she entered the cycle so frequently.  Oh, what she wouldn't have done to have fought for another planet with life that the cycle came less frequently while she was on, or enough of the herbs left that Rose could have made them grow so they would have had an endless supply.

 

She gave a soft groan and closed her eyes, fighting the ache that was bubbling beneath her gem as she sat on the seemingly nice surface of the water while the current rushed beneath, mind reeling with thoughts over what was going to happen in the future. Peridot's geodes were due to hatch within a few days, if the green gem was correct, and that was a hassle all it's own that she didn't want to deal with at the moment. Gemlings were so touchy and stupid, and had never been more than a problem for her. Useless geodes would pass through her body for revolutions before she came to earth, because she was supposed to be Pink's- Rose's carrier, her layer, and she refused to touch her, because she felt like it wasn't consensual. There had only been once, with massive amounts of begging on her part before she had even gone into the cycle she had knew was approaching, before Rose had even attempted to bury her curling member in her and fertilise the shells of the young she carried.

 

There had been a litter of sixteen, bright and shiny and so full of life, back before the single strand of information had been taken none too delicately from her gem blueprint. Sixteen healthy gemlings, sharing their parents gemstones and Rose's wonderful laugh and smile- they had called her mama, she remembered weakly, and tears bubbled in her eyes as she remembered watching the first one fall at the academy, remembered Rose holding her back as she sobbed herself, spending so many revolutions watching them grow, only to have them struck down in training, combat, and so many other situations. Before the rebellion, there had been half of them crushed, their powder given back to their parents, because they had failed their attempt to make strong gemlings, and the strand was removed, so it was impossible to try again, and the powder was too fine to try healing a single little soul they had held and nurtured for so long.

 

By now, there probably wasn't a single one left. There probably hadn't been for many years now, thousands even. They might have even crushed the ones who had stayed behind on Homeworld the moment rebellion was whispered in the ranks, and the five that had come with had been completely and utterly obliterated, just like the rest of their army. Five Crystal Gems had remained, then four, and now, three and a half. Maybe more, but she wasn't sure how this geode situation was going to turn out, and didn't want to get her hopes up, nor did she want to get anyone else's.

 

She had held too many empty husks for that.

 

Just as she began lamenting on the geodes she had been having for such an endless eternity, the sounds of someone coming up her waterfall drew her attention from her increasingly depressing thoughts. The door hadn't opened, and that meant that someone had come in through Amethyst's room. Just as she was about to get up and check on who had dared to disturb her while she was alone- had purposefully been asked to be left alone- she heard a warm voice calling her name and turned, only to see the young runt they had taken in all those years ago.

 

"Hey Pearl! There you are! Was wondering where you went. Steven said you wanted to be alone, but that was like two hours ago, and by now, I was startin' to get worried for ya," she chimed, and Pearl wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand as the young gem talked. A couple hours didn't seem right, she had only been in here for a couple minutes, hadn't she? Earth time was too complicated for her to grasp correctly, and she only vaguely grasped the concept of years, if only because it was easy to figure out such information when they had a young half-human present, eager to teach them of the planet they had spent so long protecting, before he was even considered to exist for a fraction of a second.

 

"Yes, here I am. You found me, Amethyst, and I'm glad you came in to inform me that it had been a couple hours. Thank you," she sighed, doing her best not to seem annoyed. She wasn't really annoyed with the young gem, not really; slightly frustrated at her for coming in when she had specifically told everyone to leave her alone, sure, but she was glad for a distraction. It was welcomed with opened arms after reviewing where her thoughts had started to venture to.

 

"'s cool, don't worry about it. So, whatcha doin' up here, P? You're all curled up in a ball, and you seem like you've got a gemache going on." The purple gem was quick to unceremoniously dump her physical form next to Pearl, sprawling out on the surface of the raging rapids below, prompting the other to glance at her curiously. Had she really been that obvious, or did the other gem really know her that well? It was hard to say after so many years together on this godforsaken rock.

 

"I was just... Thinking, really. Nothing more to it, I assure you. I do have a bit of a headache, but it's unrelated to my gem. More of me trying to understand some things, and trudging up bad memories." She looked to the edge of the water, watching some of it fall to the deep, waiting pool below to collect, before sparing a chance at peeking at the purple gem. She was looking at her curiously, before she slowly sat up, a grin present on her features as she leaned closer to Pearl.

 

"Aw, what's up Pearl? Are you jeeeaaalous of Ruby and Sapphire again?" At the teasing, she glanced away, fighting off a dark blush that dared to attempt taking over her cheeks like it owned them, and she refused to let it if she could fight it off. "You upset cause they're having geodes? No more attention for the big birdie?"

 

"Would you please stop?" She did her best to resist the urge to grind her teeth together when she spat the words out, though they still carried every ounce of venom she felt they were required to at the moment, with the way the other gem was teasing and joking at her expense.

 

"Come on, I'm just messin' with ya."

 

"Well, it wasn't funny."

 

"Well, jeez, so-rry. I just thought you'd like to have some company. You looked pretty damn upset when I came up here, so I wanted to try and lighten the mood some."

 

"Watch your language," she scolded, getting an eye roll from the other and her arms crossed over her chest. She glanced away, pursing her lips as she stared to the side. Did her encounters with the other always have to be so awkward? At least with Steven around, he was a bit of a buffer, but at least they hadn't resolved to spitting insults at each other and growling harsh words that stung more than deep scratches by blunt and chewed nails, or cuts by the shards sticking from the other's whip.

 

"Whatever," was the only reply she got for a moment, tense and awkward in the silence that followed. Why had Amethyst even come up here, to annoy her? If so, she was doing a great job of exactly that,  and Pearl doubted that she had even been trying. It was surprisingly easy for her to do so, even with the short conversation they had had so far, and she could barely remember a time when things hadn't been so tense, so awkward between them, and they were more than just awkward strangers dancing around the past they used to have together. "Damn it. Look, Pearl, I'm sorry, okay?"

  
  
"What?" She glanced to her, pushing past the other urge to scold her on her language choice and instead focusing on what else she had said. Had she really just apologised to her? She must have shown her confusion clearly, because Amethyst looked away, crossing her own arms over her chest.

  
  
"I... I shouldn't have been teasing you, and I shouldn't have cussed. I know you don't like when I do, and I did it anyways. I was trying to cheer you up and..." She waved a hand in a circle uselessly a couple times before turning back to Pearl. "I made it worse. So, sorry, okay?"

  
  
Pearl stared at her for a moment, her brain rattling through the words the other had said as she tried to fully comprehend it. She had apologised, even if it was for a normal conversation and it was only the two of them, she had said she was sorry, and that meant the world to her compared to how tense and awkward things had been just moments before- or rather, how things had been for the last few years. "It's... It's okay, Amethyst. Thank you for apologising."

 

"Yeah," the other mumbled, and silence fell. It was just as awkward as before, but for a different reason. There was no anger that could be felt, instead only the uneasy feelings that radiated between them, leftover from the loss they had suffered that they thought they were through with, and yet, the rift was there, because it hadn't been over, and every part of her was screaming to say something, but the graceful dancer wasn't quite sure as to what she should have said. What could ever possibly repair the damage done to their relationship? No words came to mind, so she did the only thing that did. Her arms wrapped around the shorter gem, pulling her into a tight hug that drew a dark blush to her cheeks. "P-Pearl! What do you think you're doing?!"

  
  
"I'm hugging you."

 

"Why!"

 

"Because I'm so sorry Amethyst, for everything, I shouldn't have pushed you guys away like I did, and I know you were hurting too. I'm so s-" Amethyst put a hand over her mouth, looking away once she had silenced the taller of the two. Pearl fell silent, tears starting to pricking the corners of eyes again as she saw the gem she had once held like this regularly, had once had such a strong bound with, had once loved and cared for, while now the simple hug was mostly unreciprocated, the rift was tearing them apart, and she scolded her more than she ever had in the other's entire existance, even when she had just been a small, feral child that Rose had brought back, and needed teaching manners to and needed so much guidance. The very idea seemed like a distant memory, that they had ever been close, that Amethyst had ever let her do her hair, or held hands, or watched the sun set over the ocean, when now the hug was almost painfully too long, and the hand on her mouth was still as soft as she remembered.

  
  
"I get it, okay? Just... Stop apologising. It's weird. Can't we do something to make you feel better about it, or whatever?" She stared for a moment, and the other dropped her hand to her shoulder, before awkwardly pulling her close in a hug that melted her worries, for at least the moment.

 

"That... That sounds lovely Amethyst... How about we go get donuts or something then?"

 

"Sounds great, P."


	8. Chapter 8

"So, Peridot, are you going to name them?" Steven's cheery voice brought her attention to the young boy, and she glanced up from the geodes. She had brought them out of the temple at his request, so he could see them. She hadn't minded too much, really, though it was a minor inconvenience to move the five tiny young outside. The lamp was reflecting on their shells, still bright and shiny, and the detectors were still showing signs of life. It left her giddy and excited, knowing they still had a chance at least, unless her equipment was malfunctioning, and if it was, there was no way she was going to be able to fix it. Not without the Homeworld tech needed to repair it.

 

"Huh?"  she asked in confusion, and he glanced to the little ones again, drawing her attention back to them. She wished that there had been more of the jaspers that had made it, but at least there was one, even if it was a runt. It wasn't a complete failure, as long a that one made it. There were the four peridots, but they weren't nearly as important when they needed more soldiers. Hopefully they would be strong like their sire and they would be worth it, but even if they weren't, she'd love them anyways. She didn't want the little ones to be too weak to even crack their shells, and part of her was screaming that they would be fine anyways, here on Earth were there was no superiors to decided they needed smashing because they were too weak.  
  
"The gemlings. Are you going to name them?" Confusion flooded her, and she could feel it displaying clearly on her features. What did he mean, naming them? They had names, didn't they? They would be peridots like herself, and a little jasper, like Jasper.  
  
"Name them? What do you mean?" He looked flabbergasted, as if that was the worst possible thing in the world, her not knowing what she meant by naming them, and his hands rose to his cheeks, pressing against them in what she assumed was an exclamation of shock. She had been getting better at understanding the half-human boy in the past month.

 

"You don't know what naming is? It's like, your name is Peridot, my name is Steven, Lion's name is Lion, Pearl's name is Pearl--" She cut him off with a wave of her hand before he could continue listing off the names of the other's. She understand what names were, but didn't understand why she would name them. They already had names, didn't they? Their names would have been their gem types, just like everyone else's.

 

"I know what a name is. I don't understand why I would name them. The four of them peridots like me, and the runt is a jasper like their sire." His confusion was as evident as her own must have been seconds ago, and he put his hands down, tilting his head curiously. She had forgot that he was still so young mentally, even if he was older than her, and he didn't have the extensive knowledge she did herself.

 

"What's sire mean?"

 

"A sire is... Uh..." She had to stop and think about it, unless she said something the other gems wouldn't like. They seemed to think her little one were worth saving so far, but if she said something they didn't like, wouldn't they still kill her? She was on thin ice as far as she could tell, and didn't want to not be able to even see her little ones hatch because she had messed up. She tried to think of an analogy that he would understand, and it clicked. "Oh! Your father, Greg, that's your sire."

 

"Oh! Wait, does that mean Jasper is their dad?" She hesitated, and he looked concerned in the time it took her to reply. What was she supposed to tell him? That wasn't really the right term, but at the same time, it was. She sucked on her bottom lip as she tried to think of what she should say to him.

 

"Yes. Jasper is their dad," she eventually settled on, and his eyes sparkled, like he had just discovered the meaning of life. She ran a hand through her hair, and she could see the questions running through his head. "I know you want to ask questions, but I'm not going to answer all of them. I'll answer some, so go ahead and fire away."

 

"Does that mean that you're in love with her? Do you miss her? Is she going to help you name them? Are they going to call her Dad and you Mom? Or are do gems have other names for their parents? Are--"

 

"Whoa, whoa, one at a time! You have to give me time to answer them, Steven. I... No, me and Jasper aren't in love. It... It's complicated, but I don't really... I mean, I like her, I guess, but, not really enough to say I love her. I do kind of miss her, but nothing major, and I'm not even sure I'm going to name them. I don't know what they'll call us, or if they'll call us anything besides our gem types."

 

"But you have to name them! If you don't name them, then we'll have five Peridots running around, and that's going to be hard to call just one of you. Plus, you have to have some kind of name for yourself. They're your kids!" She stared at him for a moment before looking back to the little ones. Maybe he was right. They at least needed nicknames or something, and maybe them calling her mom wouldn't be too far a stretch.

 

"I... I suppose you're right. They do need to call me something, and I suppose mom would be acceptable... I... How about you help me name them? I've never had to name anything before, and I'm not entirely sure what I should go with." His eyes took on that shine that she knew meant he was excited with her asking for his help, and she could have almost worn their were stars in his eyes.

 

"Okay! How about... Hmmm... How about Streak for this one?" he asked after a moment, pointing at the green geode with dark stripes. She was relieved that he hadn't touched them like she had asked, and took a moment to consider what he had said. Streak seemed fine, considering her stripes, and she nodded slowly, knowing that it would be easy for the little one to use it as a nickname when she got older if she had to. "Um, how about we name the other stripped one Smudge? Cause it kinda looks like smudges on her shell, and that seems like it'd be a good one."

 

"That's acceptable. I think I will call the little jasper Runt." His face fell and his bottom lip stuck out, his arms moving to a pleading position, and she knew his begging was coming.

 

"Aw, come on, Peridot, you gotta come up with an actual name! Oh, oh, what about Dottie for one of the other peridot gemlings? I mean, Dottie is still close to Peridot, right?" She could only nod again, because it was a nice one compared to her attempt at naming the runt, but she didn't want the little one to be hurt by the name she was sure to be called if they ever left this stupid planet. But would they? The chances were so slim, why would they risk it for her, Jasper, and the gemlings they were supposed to have? Maybe they could actually have  life on this planet after all.

 

"Dottie, Streak, and Smudge. Okay, I will try to remember that, but you'll have to help me remember, okay?" He nods energetically, an she smiles, watching the little boy bounce slightly in his seat at the bar. She was glad they weren't on the couch like he wanted originally, or his bouncing could have harmed the little geodes she found herself so protective of. The other two needed names, and she had to think of something, but she wasn't sure what. Maybe she could get the others to stop calling her Peri, and name the little one that? No, that wouldn't work. Jasper preferred to call her Peri, and she wouldn't stop.

 

What about Byte for the runt? That seemed like the best one, since she was going to be so small, and since she didn't have to worry about the gemlings going to Homeworld, it would be a good name for the little one. Byte, Streak, Smudge, Dottie, and... What else? The little green shell seemed to taunt her as she tried to think of what to call it. She reached out and ran her fingers over the shells, feeling how smooth they were. What to call her?

 

"Byte and Data. Byte for the runt, and Data for the other peridot." He smiled, nodding happily at her, and she couldn't help smiling back. His smile was contagious, impossible not to love, and she couldn't deny the fact that she cared for him. Just as he opened his mouth to say something else, the door to the temple slid open and they turned, Sapphire stepping outside. She glanced around before looking to Steven, Ruby running out behind her before the door could shut all the way.

 

"Sapphire, come on! You gotta let me go on the mission! I don't want to stay here, and what if you get hurt? I want to be there with you, please!" She watched the blue gem glance to her before shaking her head, pressing a gloved hand to the other's stomach. What was going on? Were they going on a mission? Was Sapphire not allowing Ruby to go? It was understandable, since the other was carrying their geodes, and she glanced to her own, knowing the danger that would come with it, and remembering the ones she had lost.

 

"You have to stay here, Ruby. You're so close to laying, I don't want you to get hurt. What if you ended up losing them because you got hurt?" She looked back at the others, watching Ruby deflate. Her arms wrapped around herself, holding her stomach, and Peridot watched the other embrace her. "I know you want to be there to protect me, but you need protecting right now. The mission will go fine without you."

 

"I... Okay. Fine, I'll stay," she mumbled, pressing closer to her significant other, and the green gem looked away when they leaned in to kiss, turning to stroke the shell of her little ones. She didn't want to spy in on their private moment, especially with something so intimate.

 

"Steven! Come on, we have a mission," Sapphire called, and the little boy hopped down from his stool, Peridot turning to watch him run over. She watched him hop on the warp pad, smiling as he stood next to the small gem next to him. Ruby stood off to the side, her arms crossed slightly as she pouted. Apparently she didn't like not being able to go on the mission if her mood was anything to go by. From what the technician could tell, anyway.

 

"What about Pearl and Amethyst? Are they coming?" he asked after a moment, glancing around for the missing members of the Crystal Gems. She couldn't help but be curious about them as well, since it seemed unlikely that they would go on a mission with just the two of them. She hadn't actually seen any of the gems go on a mission with Steven by themselves during the time that she had been here, as it was always the entire group. Or at least, it had been until Ruby got farther along like now, unable to go anymore.

 

"They're on their way. Give them about ten seconds." Seconds later- as the other predicted, with scary accuracy- the other two members of the Crystal Gems stepped from the temple onto the warping pad, and the four of them warped out without another word. All that was left then was her, the red gem, and her geodes. An awkward glance was shared between them before she turned back to her little ones. Her detached fingers ran over them, feeling how smooth their shells were. Beautiful, shiny little ones, and they had their own names now. Hopefully, they would hatch.

 

"Hey." The other's voice flooded her ears and she glanced to the red gem as she sat on the stool Steven had occupied moments before. She looked to her, swallowing dryly. It was so awkward to be around her, and the only one she even felt comfortable being around was Steven. The rest of them were hard to be around, especially since they had found her laying her geodes after chasing her for so long. She chewed the inside of her lip before offering the other a small wave.

 

"Hello," she said awkwardly, more interested in her little shiny shelled geodes rather than the other gem attempting to hold a conversation with her. She supposed that she should have said something else to her, but she wasn't sure what she was supposed to say, especially with how things had been since she had been caught. They had almost killed her before, and since then the only one that really conversed with her for the past month on this miserable month had been Steven. Occasionally, Pearl would attempt, but it was always so awkward and weird between them, though she did appreciate the effort. She had gave her the heat lamp for the little ones, thankfully, and helped her take care of them, teaching her what she needed to know about them.

 

"So, uh, how have you been doing?" the little red gem asked, and she glanced to her, trying to come up with how she should have respond. She wasn't bad, considering the fact that she could have been trapped in a bubble, or lost all of her little ones instead of most, or worse.

 

"I'm... I'm okay. How about you?" She turned to the red gem, hoping that this line of conversation was what the other wanted. It seemed to be, as she shrugged and put her head on one hand, leaning on the counter.

 

"I'm alright." She paused, staring at her geodes, and the technician looked back at them, stroking their shiny shells with her floating fingers. They were so small and she couldn't believe they were so close to finally hatching. "Have you been turning them? If you don't, they could stick to the shells."

 

"Yes. Pearl taught me how to properly take care of them. She's actually the one that gave me the heat lamp. She said that it would be best to keep their temperatures as constant as possible and that it would help to have the lamp on them. I'm very grateful she's been helping me," she told the other, and she nodded slowly, putting one hand over her stomach. She watched her hand squeeze slightly, and furrowed her brows in worry as she watched her. Was she okay? "Are... Are you in pain?"

 

"A little bit," the other admitted, swallowing. She looked to her stomach then, sucking on her bottom lip. "Didn't want to tell Sapphire and worry her though, since it's not too bad. Not labour bad or anything."

 

"You're sure? I don't want you laying while they're out. I don't know what to do, and I don't know where they went, so I can't get them for you."

 

"Yeah, I'm sure. I know what that feels like, and not that. Mostly just my skin stretching, I guess."

 

"Alright..." The silence that fell was awkward, and she picked up the runt, holding it close and feeling the shell. It was heavier than it had been when she laid it, and she assumed that meant the gemling inside was developing. They were due to hatch any day now, and she couldn't wait to hold them all for the first time. She glanced up, seeing the other staring, and hesitated for a second before offering the orange little geode. "Do you uh, want to hold it?"

 

"R-really? You'd be okay with that?" She swallowed and nodded, because the other had held her girls before, and held her own defunct ones for years, so she didn't see a problem with her holding it. She took it from her slowly, cautiously, and the green gem gave her a shaky smile. Her hands would be better than Peridot's fingers, because she at least had palms to hold them with, and she watched the other smile and hold it close.  "It's... It's heavier than it was before. That's good."

 

"Yeah." She nodded slowly, looking back to her other four. Streak, Smudge, Data, and Dottie. She couldn't hide her smile, because they meant the world to her when she had nothing else, and she noticed then that the silence was much less awkward, comfortable even, in the moments together with Ruby and her geodes. She didn't bother saying anything, and Ruby didn't either, enjoying each other's company.


	9. Chapter 9

Three days. It had been three days. Sapphire kept assuring her that things would be fine, but they were supposed to hatch three days ago, and she was starting to fear for the worst. Steven assured her that everything was going to be fine if the blue gem was telling her so, but she wasn't so sure. The eggs weren't even moving, and though her scanners were still detecting life, she was doubting that they worked. The geodes were supposed to have hatched by now, and she couldn't even bring herself to leave their sides.

 

It was killing her. They were her last little ones left out of the bunch, and they should have hatched by now, but they hadn't. Why was it taking so long for them to hatch? Were they traumatised? Too much so to hatch? She couldn't leave their sides, knowing that they were supposed to arrive into the world soon, though not a single crack had appeared on their shells. They had to hatch soon. They had to. She kept telling herself that it wouldn't take much more, that they'd be out and about before too long, but she couldn't believe it, no matter how much she told herself so, or the others told her the same.

 

Sitting in her room with the little ones, she couldn't help but feel alone. They had been the only real thing that made her feel like everything was going to be okay here on this miserable planet, and without them, she felt lost. It had all been her fault. She should have stayed aboard the ship, let them take her, but she hadn't, because they could have easily crushed the still developing ones inside her, but instead, she had crashed. That had been so much worse than anything they would have done to her, because instead of the chance of it all, it had been certain, and she had lost so many to cracks too early. Now, the others weren't cracking like they were supposed to, and it was driving her insane.

 

She was going to lose them too, wasn't she? It wasn't fair. She had thought they were doing so well, and that her scanners were working well, but no, it wasn't true. They had never been alive, had they? They were dead the entire time, worse than she had been expecting, because not a single one had hatched, and it had all been a waste- a complete and total waste. Peridot had lost every single one of them despite her best efforts, and it was all her fault.

 

She pressed her forehead to her prosthetic knees, tears starting to stream her cheeks. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair. Peridot couldn't believe that they hadn't hatched, hadn't even had a chance, after so long of waiting. She wanted to scream, because she couldn't believe it, couldn't believe they had been lost as well, that she had carried for no reason because not a single one made it, and it hadn't mattered. She had lost every single one she had carried, down to even the runt, and it wasn't like she had lost them because they hadn't been warmed or anything like that, no, it was because she had been stupid and a careless carrier.

 

What was she even supposed to do with the rotten geodes now? They were useless, worthless, and she couldn't believe she had ever thought that they were going to make it. Ruby and Sapphire would probably tell her what to do with them, because they had told her that they had had their own that didn't make it, and she couldn't believe hers were going to end up with the rest of theirs. The technician felt so stupid for even having thought that they could have made it. It was her own fault for crashing her escape pod. Oh god, what if her superiors had been lying to her the entire time? What if they had never had a chance of making it, and this was some sick joke done by them? What if--

 

"Chirr?" She drew her head up, tears streaming her cheeks as she looked around. Where had that noises come from? No one else had came in, because she hadn't heard the door open, and she was otherwise alone. The only other thing in her room was the heat lamp, the geodes, and a few of her personal items she had brought in her gem, and that was no where near any of the sounds she had programmed into her robonoids or any of the other inventions of hers. "Chirr! Chirr!"

 

There it was again. Was she hallucinating? She glanced around again, not seeing anyone else, before looking back at her geodes. Her heart would have stopped if it could have, because sitting in the circle was a tiny little peridot, barely sticking out of her shell. Her hair was a wild mess and matted to her little body, her little arms grasping at air as she tried to get out of her geode. Her eyes were stuck shut, and when Peridot moved a finger over to nudge her, she grabbed onto the digit, chirring up a storm. Slowly, with her heart in her throat, she picked up the geode and moved it closer, noticing the dark stripes on it and the gemling inside as she moved it closer.

 

"Chirr! Chirr chirr chirr!" The technician moved it closer, holding the little shell as she looked it over. The gemling was naked, but her mother expected nothing less, and she was so small that Peridot couldn't help but wonder if it was normal. The little one was disgusting and sticky, and needed a good cleaning off, but her mother was so happy that she was alive, and chirring at her- demanding the green gem's attention, like she was supposed to be cleaning the gemling off and getting the shells of her daughter right this second\- that she didn't care that the little gem was dirty. A laugh bubbled out of her before the grown gem thought twice about it, happy and disjointed, before she slowly started picking the shells off her little one. She seemed at least contented by that, her chirring getting less erratic as Peridot slowly peeled the shells away. What was this one's name again? Stripe?

 

No, Streak. Her name was Streak, and she fit almost perfectly in the palm of her hand, so tiny and small as she was. The small gem was chirring, though it had calmed by now from a mess of chirrs that demanded attention at that very moment, to chirring that sounded perfectly happy with the shells finally being removed, as if she had had to wait forever for them to leave her. When the little one was finally free of her shells, Peridot wiped her thumb across her eyes, removing the muck there. She waited to see if she would open her eyes, but when she didn't, she could only hold her close. Streak was content with this it seemed, purring softly as she was held. She glanced back to the geodes, unable to hold back a smile. If this one had hatched, then the rest had hope. In the next second, she knew her hope wasn't misplaced.

 

Tiny little cracks appeared on the shell of her tiny little runt, and she watched the shell shatter and splinter before a hole was made in the side by a tiny foot. The green gem was quick to shift Streak, and herself, setting the little one in her lap as she scooped up her only orange egg. The little one kicked and the shell shook before the hole widened. She didn't waste another second to start pulling the shells away, wanting her little one free. She broke them away, revealing the tiny thing that was so much smaller than her sister. Her name was Byte, and she wasn't making nearly as much noise as her sister had been. She was still breathing though, her short hair spiked everywhere, with a few strands still stuck to her naked form. Peridot was quick to deposit her next to her sister when the next one started cracking, her plain green geodes shaking at the same time.

 

Peridot scooped them up when they started cracking, shells falling into her palms as they broke free. A tiny, messy headed gemling poked free from one, Data if she remembered right, and she started breaking the shells away as the little gem chirred at her, and she had barely got half of them off before Dottie was sprawling out in her palm, having broke out of part of the shell that was closest to her palm. She was careful to set the cracked geodes down carefully before chipping away at them both, one hand working on each. By the time their mother had finished, she could tell that they were both plain little peridots, though their hair was more reminiscent of their sire's than hers. Both had gems imbedded in their faces where their noses should have been, though they were the same colour as her own.

 

"My little ones," she gasped, her tears starting fresh again as she sat them next to their sisters. They curled together, a mess of tiny little bodies on her lap, and she choked down a sob, because she couldn't believe it. They had hatched, her little ones had finally hatched, after days of making her worry and fret, they had hatched. She wanted to kiss them, to listen carefully to their adoring little purrs as they kept each other warm, but they needed to be cleaned off. However, that could wait for the moment, because they had just hatched, and had to be tired from the whole ordeal.

 

The technician glanced up at the last egg, seeing the light stripes adorning it, and picked it up. It had a small crack, but nothing more, and fear flooded her. Scared for her child, she started breaking the shell away slowly. Four out of five was good, but four out of her total wasn't. It wasn't fair to have lost so many, but she at least had her four, right? Her thumb broke through the membrane, and a tiny set of teeth dug into her finger the moment the digit did. She hissed softly, pulling it back for a second and glancing at the skin. It hadn't broke through, but it had still hurt, and that was good, great even, because that meant her little one was alive, and a fighter. Excited, she started breaking the shell away, slowly but surely, her little one appearing as pieces fell away.

 

Smudge was small, so small that it almost hurt, but she was bigger than Byte, and that was an accomplishment in itself. She seemed to be the only one that didn't have unruly locks, more reminiscent of her mother's hair, and when Peridot looked her over, she noted that her gem was in the same spot as her own. It was a relief, and she sat the tiny gem next to her sisters. Tears started streaming faster than she thought possible, because they were so small and perfect and sticky. She would need to get Pearl to help her clean them off, but at the second, she didn't care. They were finally here, finally in her lap, finally in the world.


	10. Chapter 10

The water in the sink splashed about slightly as Pearl scrubbed the dishes, enjoying the mostly peaceful house. Sapphire had insisted on taking Amethyst and Steven on a mission with her, and Peridot had yet to leave her room, watching her geodes and watching for them to hopefully hatch, and that left her and Ruby alone in the beachhouse. She was trying to clean, while the other was waiting for the rest of their team to return, and while the graceful dancer didn't normally mind the other gem being around, now was a different case.

 

"Pearl? Are you sure I can't just... Go check on them? Maybe just see what they're up to? Just to make sure that they're okay?" She glanced over her shoulder at the smaller gem and shook her head before returning to the dishes before her. Ruby was getting to the point where she wanted Sapphire near at all, and Pearl found it easy to recognise the signs that the red gem was indeed carrying geodes that were fertilised by the other. Not being Garnet was hard enough on the both of them, but the fact that Sapphire left occasionally to go on missions that couldn't wait until they could fuse was driving Ruby crazy.

 

"No, Ruby. You have to say here, you know that." The red gem groaned, and she could hear the other's hands as they slammed into the bar. She could tell she had draped herself across it, and knew what was coming next. Ruby was always emotional, especially when it came to Sapphire, and she was predictable. Pearl didn't need future vision to know what was going to happen with her. She could remember when she had carried her own geodes and how clingy she had been towards Rose, and part of her wondered if the same had been true for their prisoner before she had launched herself to earth.

 

"But, Pearl, they could be hurt! Something could have happened to them! You _gotta_ let me go! What if they got hurt? What if someone cracked a gem? You just have to let me go Pearl! I want to go and help and make sure that they're okay!" She ignored her, scrubbing at a particularly hard spot on the pan. It wasn't coming off and it was quickly frustrating her, but she did her best not to let it show, lest the other gem think her annoyance was directed at the gem on the other side of the bar. She could smell smoke starting to fill the air, but still didn't turn to look at Ruby, and another groan left the other gem. "Hey! Don't ignore me! I wanna go check on them! If you don't answer me, I'm just going to go anyways!"

 

"And risk losing them?" she interrupted, turning to look at the red gem. Her face was flushed, and the stool she was sitting on was definitely smoking underneath her from where she was fuming. Pearl smirked and turned back to scrubbing the pan, managing to get the last spot of food off. Triumphantly, she rinsed the dish and set it on the rack to dry. There, all done. She unplugged the sink and grabbed a rag to dry her hands, before turning back to see Ruby still pouting in her seat.

 

"What do you know, huh? They're probably not going to make it anyways. Just like the rest of them. Peridot can say that stupid serum worked, but her gemlings haven't hatched, now have they?" She was quick to approach the other, hating the negativity that was flowing from her. It wasn't good for the ones developing inside her- especially with her doubting that they were even going to have a chance in the first place. Pearl knew what fertilised geodes looked like, as she was sure Ruby knew as well, but wasn't sure the other had ever seen any that had hatched. She had, and had held their shells delicately when they cracked open. She had peeled back cracked shells and welcomed sixteen into the world, and knew the five with Peridot had a chance. They were the right weight, colour, and shape for geodes so close to hatching, and she couldn't find trauma on any of them.

 

"Didn't Sapphire say that they would hatch? You have to give them time. I know that you doubt her, but you've seen how she looks at them and the way she treats them. She thinks they're going to hatch, Sapphire says they're going to hatch, and so do I. Everything looks extremely healthy for geodes of that stage in development, and I'm certain they'll hatch. Just like I'm certain the ones that you're carrying are fertilised and going to hatch just as well as Peridot's. I'm positively certain that by the end of the next revolution there will be two groups of tiny little gemlings in the temple and this house, and you'll feel extremely foolish for doubting her, Ruby."

 

"Aw, what do you know, huh? How do you know they're going to hatch? Not like you have future vision or anything like that! You just want me to shut up, don't you? Sure, her geodes look different than any of the husks I've laid, but that doesn't mean they're going to hatch. I've never even had that many fertilised at once! I know she's a bigger gem, but I bet she's lying to us. How do you even know what healthy geodes look like?" She glared at the other for a moment before shaking her head. She had agreed with Rose that they wouldn't tell them about their own gemlings and their crushed gems, because it wasn't fair to have them know that they had been encouraged to try to have their own little ones before the gene had been removed. Pearl found herself looking away, crossing her arms over her chest in her annoyed state.

 

"None of your business. You should go rest. Your construct can get easily overworked when in such a state, and I bet sleeping would help take some of that ache off your form." She hoped so, anyways. She had never tried it herself, but it had to be better than being exhausted the entire time that Ruby was carrying. Part of her wondered how many she was going to have, and hoped it wouldn't be too many. When a smaller gem had too many geodes at once, they were less stable, and more likely not to hatch. Given Ruby's size, Pearl estimated her to be carrying at least five, but it was certainly under ten.

 

"Are you sending me to my room?! I'm not some little kid, Pearl! I can take care of myself just fine! And it kind of is my business, considering you're trying to advise me on geodes, when you won't even tell me where you got this information from! That's not fair!" Pearl could only sigh and run a hand through her hair in exasperation. Carrying gems without their mates could be such a hassle, and Ruby was one without being so far into carrying fertilised geodes inside of her. This entire conversation was going badly, and she wasn't sure that there was much left to try and salvage.

 

"I know you're not a kid, Ruby. I was merely suggesting that it would be easier on you if you rested. I wasn't even insinuating that you go to your room. You could simply sit on the couch over there and rest, as long as you don't burn it like you did that stool." Ruby looked ashamed for a moment, glancing to the stool underneath her, before back at Pearl. Hoping that she had deflected the question, she started to pick back up on the cleaning that had been put aside slightly recently as she had tried to help Peridot, before Ruby's voice broke that train of thought.

 

"You didn't tell me where you got that information from, Pearl."

 

She could feel herself flushing slightly, because it was such a personal matter to discuss the little ones she had watched grow into such fine gems, but did her best to act as if it didn't bother her to know that each and every one of them was probably deceased and she'd never see a single smiling face of theirs again. Pearl refused to let Ruby get the better of her, grabbed the laundry basket, and started towards the warp pad. Steven had left some towels in the dryer, and she was going to get them while the other three were out.

 

"Hey! Where are you going! Answer me, Pearl! You can't just walk away from this!" She stopped and sighed, turning slightly to look back at the smaller red gem. She was pouting slightly, the chair underneath her smoking again, and an air of anger hanging around her. Ruby was an emotional mess, more so than usual, and Pearl set down the basket slowly, trying to collect herself. She had to tell her then. Had to tell her about the little ones she had  together with Rose so long ago. It was going to be hard, but she had hid it for so long that it didn't seem to be that much big of a deal anymore. However, it was going to be, and she knew it.

 

"Ruby, I know all these things about geodes and gemlings because... Well, when I was a young gem, back before the revolution was even whispered down the ranks and spread like wildfire, I was assigned to Rose to--" The door opened behind her, and a chorus of noises filled the house, interrupting her before she could dare tell Ruby too much. She turned then and found Peridot standing in the door to the temple, holding a basket with discarded shells, and sticky little gemlings, curled up in tiny little balls. Most of them were fluff, while one was more tamed, and they looked so small, but they had hatched, and Pearl felt her heart shattering in relief as she looked at the green gem's face and saw the fresh tears still streaming her cheeks.

 

"Th-they hatched. I... I need help cleaning them off now, Pearl. Please? I don't know what to do, and I'm scared that I'm going to hurt them, but they need wiped off." She felt herself nodding rather than really knowing she was doing it herself, being vaguely aware of what her body was doing. Ruby was stunned into silence behind her it seemed, and the slender gem felt the same as she stepped forward, taking a good look at the small gems curled up inside, sticky with the membranes and fluids from inside their shells.

 

"O-of course, Peridot. I'll be happy to help."


	11. Chapter 11

Ruby couldn't help staring at the green gem that stepped out of the temple from the moment she appeared to the moment she went back in. She watched Pearl fill a large bowl with warm water, grab some rags, and then disappear after her. She was shaking, but couldn't find a way to stop it as tears pricked her eyes. Her earlier anger had dissipated, replaced with complete and total shock, as she stared at the temple door. A green dot had been added to it so Peridot could access her room, but even that no longer seemed strange to her. The thing that seemed the strangest was actually the little gems the other had been carrying when she had stepped out.

 

She had had gemlings. Tiny, sticky, and chirring gemlings. They had seemed so small, an she was sure her own would be smaller. Her own would be tiny little balls of fluff if they had Sapphire's hair, and in the oppressing quiet of the empty house, a sob escaped her as the tears started. She didn't need future vision to know that it would work, because it had worked for the green gem. Peridot had held five little gems in a basket when she stepped out. She had held so close and carefully as if she were scared to hurt the small gems that had been chirring softly, needing affirmation and assurance that they were going to be okay.

 

Before she knew it, she was sobbing as she sat at the bar, head in her hands. Hers had hatched. They had actually hatched. They had been tiny little balls of fluff, more so than she was sure her own would be if they had Sapphire's hair. She couldn't believe it. Everything felt surreal, knowing that hers actually had a chance. That they would probably hatch, if Peridot's were anything to go by. It had been thousands of years of empty husks that had come to this. She was carrying geodes that actually had a chance.

 

She put a hand to her stomach as she sobbed, feeling the small bumps under the skin. She could feel around eight of them inside her, creating small bumps, and hated the ache that came into her heart. For the longest time, they had been together as Garnet because it was easier than Ruby having to deal with empty husks she couldn't even look at after they had left her, because they had been her colour, dull, and too lifeless to have even mattered for a single second.

 

And now they had a chance- a real chance to actually hatch. To grow up and be strong gems that she couldn't help but love. They'd be perfect, no matter what, even if they weren't actually so. No matter what, they'd be her perfect little gems that she would cherish. They actually had a chance, they could actually make it. She heard her tears hitting the surface of the bar, and choked back the sobs trying to escape in her swelling mix of emotions. Most notably were her happiness and shock, unable to believe they had a fighting chance.

 

She couldn't wait to tell Sapphire and let her know that they actually had a chance. They had so many broken dreams over the years, and this was real. This was a moment where the two of them could sit together and actually believe that she was going to have their little ones. They were going to be a family. For the first time in thousands of years, they could be a family. Ruby shook as the thought overcame her.

 

Sapphire and she could be there for as long as they needed them, taking care of them and nurturing them because they were theirs and they needed help. The gemlings could grow up to be strong gems, beautiful and wonderful lovely gems that would be theirs. She wondered if any of them would have Sapphire's eye, and if those that didn't would have her own nose. She wondered if the traits that appeared in Garnet showed what would appear in the little ones, and she glanced up at the picture hanging on the wall.

 

Sapphire's lips and her nose. Would that be what they all had? Sapphire didn't have a nose to give, so it seemed likely for them to all inherit her nose, if they had one. Would they have Sapphire's jawline like Garnet did, or what they have hers? Would their hair be a poofy mess, or would it lay mostly flat like her own? As the questions flooded her mind, she hiccupped. The tears of joy just wouldn't stop, and she didn't want to will them to. It was too good to be true.

 

The red gem took a moment to pinch herself, to hope that it wasn't a dream, and when she felt the stinging pain, she knew it to be true. Peridot's gemlings had hatched, and her own could too. She thought about each and every moment of holding them as they grew, and how much they would rely on them. It wouldn't be that much different that Steven had been when he had been little, because they'd be like Peridot's were now. Tiny little things of chirring fluff. Or maybe tamed hair? She wasn't sure which the gemlings would get.

 

It was still raw, still fresh, and she started laughing despite her tears. Pearl and Peridot couldn't hear her, or if they could, they would deal with it, because they were cleaning off the sticky messes of little gems, while she was such a swirling and twirling mess of pure happiness that she couldn't believe it. The serum worked, and they were going to hopefully have gemlings. There was no doubt about it now, no doubt about the weight so heavy inside her, because the green gem's had hatched, and that was such a good sign.

 

A chime broke through the sobs of hers hanging so heavy in the air, and she glanced up, finding Sapphire and their team mates. Steven was laughing, covered in some sticky yellow substance that was almost dripping off of him, and Sapphire was scolding him about it, while Amethyst laughed. She had to tell her. Them, actually, because Steven would want to know just as much as Sapphire would, but she wasn't sure how Amethyst would react. She had seemed so... So neutral about the geodes developing inside herself and the ones Peridot was watching over, she wasn't sure how she would react. Before she could say anything, Sapphire was pointing towards the bathroom.

 

"Go clean up, now. You're making a mess everywhere. I'll clean up the warp pad, but you're cleaning the rest of it. If you don't clean it off, it'll sink into your skin and slowly poison you until you're unable to do anything but wither away," she scolded, and his eyes widened in fear. He was quick to rush off without another word, and Amethyst stopped laughing slowly, looking at the blue gem once he was gone.

 

"Whoa. Is it really going to cause him to wither away like you said?" the purple gem asked, and her lover shook her head, watching after Steven. She had been wondering the same herself, but hadn't wanted to say anything yet, because her hands had firmly locked themselves over her mouth and kept her from sobbing while they talked, so they wouldn't notice the tears on her cheeks and on the bar.

 

"No. If I hadn't said that though, he wouldn't have listened. He can be very stubborn sometimes, as I'm sure you're aware," her lover informed the youngest full gem of their team, before turning to look around the house. She couldn't see it, but she was certain her eye was widening underneath her hair, and the other was before her in seconds, her dress momentarily fluffing up in her haste. "Oh my gosh, Ruby! Are you okay? What happened? Why are you crying? Are you in pain?"

 

"N-no, I'm not in pain," she answered simply, sniffling despite her best efforts to keep herself from crying anymore. Sapphire looked ready to ask more questions, and she was quick to press a kiss to her before she could say anything else. Amethyst let out a noise that sounded annoyed, but she couldn't bring it in herself to care at that moment. She broke the kiss and nuzzled Sapphire's neck, laughing when she couldn't hold it in anymore. "Sapphire, Peridot's gemlings hatched! She came out w-with them to get Pearl, and they hatched!"

 

Sapphire seemed to gape, her mouth hanging open, before a single line of tears started rolling down from under her hair. She pulled her close, feeling her slightly swollen stomach press between them as she held her lover close, and she could feel the other press her face into her shoulder, tears wetting her shirt as gloved arms wrapped around her. Sapphire let out a soft sob against her shirt, though she was sure that Amethyst couldn't have heard it. The blue gem was apparently just as happy about it as she was, and she pulled her close.

 

"I-I... I saw but I wasn't... It could have not ha-happened, or... Thank god," she heard her whisper, soft and weak against her as she was held. She felt tears start to streak her own cheeks, nodding as she put her head atop of Sapphire's. She heard Amethyst awkwardly shuffling about, and when she looked up, she was looking away, as if she didn't see it, and she could only assume she was waiting on Steven.

 

"I know," she mumbled to the love of her life, and Sapphire nuzzled her again. She could feel the tears still coming from her eye, and knew that the blue gem had the same rush of emotions she had when she had found out. They were going to be a family, finally, and she buried herself against her darling singer's hair, trying to keep her tears from being seen. With the other so close, there wasn't any danger of her heat melting the stool, because she felt knew that the other would  stop it with her own cold influence.

 

"Amethyst? What's going on? Is Ruby okay? Did something happen while we were out?"

 

"She's fine. Now, come on, little man. Let's go do something else," she heard Amethyst murmur at some point, and in a few moments, the door was slamming shut behind them as they left. However, she knew that the purple gem could take care of him while they were out. Right now, she was grateful, and planned on thanking the kindergarten gem when she came back. Ruby was going to enjoy this moment with Sapphire until then.


	12. Chapter 12

 

Steven found himself staring at the ground as they walked away from the house, his brows furrowed in concentration. Most of this had been confusing at first, but Peridot had taken the time to explain whatever hadn't made sense to him at first, and had been nice enough to answer all of his questions when he had asked them. Walking towards the stairs, he watched Amethyst jump over the railing and found himself wondering if she would answer his questions honestly, or deflect them like usual.

"Hey, Amethyst?" he started cautiously as he took his time going down the steps, one foot at a time. Though she could just jump down like she had, Steven couldn't and had to rely on the stairs. She glanced up at him, a brow raised as she watched him go down the stairs. Suddenly, he was too nervous to get a word out while facing her, and he glanced down as he reached the last step. "Will you tell me why Ruby and Sapphire were crying now?"

"Steven," she started, sighing, before a cool hand played across his shoulder. He glanced up at her and she gave him a tired smile, and he wondered if the situation was playing on her mind as much as it was his. "They need some time to themselves so they can sort their emotions out, alright? It's harder for them, since they aren't fused all the time right now. I don't know why they're crying, but this thing with Peridot has been one big mess, and I want to give them space so they can work it out together. Let's go visit your dad, or something on the boardwalk, bud. Have you told him about Peridot's geodes?"

Steven took it all in, considering what she had said. The two of them did spend time alone together in the temple often, and it would make sense that they needed time to cool off. He was actually surprised that they hadn't burned or froze anything lately, but maybe inside the temple was a different story. He eventually nodded once to show that he understood, stepping onto the beach. However, at the mention of his father, his eyes sparkled and he nodded, much more frantically than he had before.

"Yeah! At first, I think he thought that I said Pearl had geodes and he was really confused and concerned, but he wouldn't tell me why! When I told him that it was actually Peridot, he seemed to calm down a lot. Then I told him that Ruby and Sapphire were going to have geodes too, and that there would be more gems running around because of it, and he nearly fainted!" he told her excitedly as they started off towards town, Amethyst smirking beside him at his tale of having told his father about the upcoming gemlings.

"Sounds like Greg. So, what do you want to do?" she asked, and he tapped his chin thoughtfully. They could get pizza, or fry bits, go to the arcade, visit Funland, or... He looked to Amethyst out of the corner of his eye, seeing the tired way she seemed to sag when she thought he wasn't looking. Maybe all of this was wearing on her, and he wondered what she wanted to do. She hadn't been eating much again, unless they had been out together, which had become more and more common lately. Knowing what would be best, he rubbed the back of his head.

"Let's go visit Onion and his mom." She seemed to spark up slightly, before relaxing as if it was nothing, and smiled the first real smile to seem genuine all month. He would put up with Onion as long as it made her happy, and her pace even seemed to pick up slightly as they walked.

"Really?"

"Yeah. If they're home, anyways. I dunno where else they would be if we wanted to see them otherwise."

"Psssh, Vi is probably at home, painting again. Probably none other than yours truly. You ain't gonna mind hanging around with Onion, are you?"

"Not at all." he said as he shook his head and gave her a smile, though it was only because he knew how much she needed it that he didn't mind. Though he was young, he still understood something was bugging his guardian, and wanted her to feel better. Then she'd at least have someone to talk to about what was going on. Maybe hanging with Onion wouldn't be so bad after all.


	13. Chapter 13

Pearl carefully sat down with the bowl and rags next to the heat lamp, and Peridot followed carefully with the basket of her little ones. Streak was chirring again, loud and strong, while Byte and Smudge were quiet. The other two peridot gemlings were chirping softly, strong, but nowhere near as loud as their biggest sister. Pearl shifted the bowl, setting it down on the ground before taking a rag and dipping it in the warm water. The green gem couldn't help staring as the other handed her the wet rag, dipping another in the water.

 

"Pearl, what am I doing with this?" she asked cautiously, unsure of what the other gem had planned. A small sigh was her answer, and Pearl gave her a warm smile that seemed almost comforting. Was she trying to be nice? She couldn't be sure, and raised a brow as the other carefully wrung the rag out.

 

"You're cleaning them off. I can show you how to do it, if you would like, but we need to get the membranes off of them before they dry. It can be damaging to their skin otherwise." She swallowed and scooped up her biggest gemling, carefully handing Streak over to Pearl. She watched her start to carefully wipe the little one off, and watched as Streak started hissing and nipping at where she thought the hand was, though only biting air.

 

"Do they always react like that?" she asked nervously, glancing to the other four for a moment before looking back to Pearl as she shrugged. Streak was soon clean and Pearl handed her back to Peridot.

 

"Sometimes, but that depends on the gemlings, you know. Some are much calmer than others, while some are more likely to bite and nip. Don't worry, however. Their teeth won't come in for a year or so. That is determined by the gem type, and what they eat, but it'll at least take a year," Pearl hummed, scooping up Data and starting to clean her. Peridot listened to her, nodding as she set Streak in her lap. The towel that had been in the bottom of the basket would have to be changed before the clean gemlings were put back in. A thought occurred to her and she glanced at Pearl.

 

"How do you know so much about gemlings, Pearl?" Starting on carefully wiping off Dottie, she watched the other freeze for a moment before starting to wipe off the gemling again. What was that about? She raised a brow and watched her swallow, before the other sighed.

 

"I had some, once. It had been thousands of years ago, before the rebellion and before the gene had been removed. I was," Pearl paused and seemed to hesitate as she rinsed out her rag. Peridot was about to tell her it was fine, and that she didn't have to tell her, before she watched her take a deep breath and restart her sentence. "I was made to carry geodes, actually, along with caring for them once they had hatched. My own are long gone by now, I'm sure, but I still retained the knowledge for caring for gemlings."

 

Peridot fell silent, though she felt as if she should have said something. What could she say though? She carefully put Dottie next to Streak, and deposited Data next to her sisters once Pearl handed her over. She was careful to pick up Smudge, wiping her off as Pearl started on cleaning off Byte. She wanted to say something, to comfort the other, but couldn't think of a single thing to say that would comfort her. She was curious about the gemlings, but didn't want to ask right now. It was obviously something very personal for Pearl, and Peridot wondered who had been the sire. Had it been a situation similar to her own? Or was it something more?

 

The technician recalled the warmth coursing through her body and the way it had burned so deep. She remembered walking over to Jasper, panting as her body pushed her to be filled. It hadn't been as intense the first time, but the second had been worse, almost as if she had magma flowing through her. Jasper hadn't been stupid and had noticed the signs right away. Thinking back on it, Peridot wondered how many gemlings the other had sired before hers, and felt a pang of ache in her chest. Recollecting the way the orange had pushed her against the nearest surface and used her, she wondered if Jasper would even care the gemlings had made it as she rinsed out her own rag like she had seen Pearl do.

 

After another rinse of the rags, the last two gemlings were clean and deposited back in her lap, and she looked to Pearl again, watching her seem to hang her head now that the little ones were clean. She took the basket from Peridot and took the towel out, wrapping the shells inside up as she did so. A new towel was placed at the bottom of the basket before it was handed back to the green gem and she slowly moved her clean gemlings into their basket. Fitting comfortably inside, the five little ones pressed closer together, and Peridot found herself smiling warmly at the sight. However, when she glanced up and found Pearl looking away with tears in her eyes, she frowned.

 

"I'm sorry about your gemlings, Pearl. I had no idea that..."

 

"No one does, Peridot. Their sire was the only other gem that had ever known about them here on Earth, and she's gone now."

 

"Not even the rest of your team?" It seemed shocking to her that the other had spent thousands of years with the rest of the Crystal Gems, and yet she hadn't told them she had once had gemlings of her own.

 

"Especially not them. It would destroy Ruby to learn that I had been allowed to carry, that I'm certain of. Could you imagine going thousands of years with empty husks, knowing that never had a chance, while a friend of yours had been allowed to carry? I can't imagine how they would react to learn my specific purpose in life was to do just that before the gene had been removed."

 

"I... I've never had a friend before, so I can't say that I can begin to imagine it. Steven is probably the closest to a friend I've ever had, actually."

 

"Not even Jasper?"

 

"She was an escort and an assigned mate. Nothing more. She didn't even stick around to make sure I was okay. I... I don't think she even cared."

 

"I'm sorry to hear," Pearl murmured, putting a hand on her shoulder. Peridot found herself leaning into the touch, staring at her little ones. Byte seemed to shiver and Streak pulled her sister closer, tiny purrs emanating from the basket. They were still so small, so young, and Peridot wondered if she would ever see their sire again. Would Jasper even want to see the gemlings, or would she be more worried about getting home? Similar questions plagued her mind, and she sighed.

 

"What else do I need to know now, Pearl?" She glanced at the other gem, and she gave her a warm smile. Could she count her as a friend too? She was much nicer to her than Jasper had ever been, and she wondered if maybe she could count Pearl without the other getting upset. After all, Pearl was here, helping her care for her little ones, while Jasper was fused with Lapis at the bottom of the ocean.

 

"Now, it's time to clothe and feed them. I'll show you how to make the proper folded garment until they're big enough to wear the human diapers."

 

"Thank you for all of this."

 

"It wasn't a problem, Peridot. Not at all."


	14. Chapter 14

Arms crossed over her chest, Amethyst watched as Steven knocked on the door. She heard someone yell from within, muffled as it was, but she didn't try to understand who it was. They would be there shortly, so it didn't matter. Her eyes glanced away from the door, and she could tell Steven was staring again. Damn it. Any minute now, he was going to ask if she was okay, and she would tell him she was, because she wasn't going to let him know how much the very idea of what was going on bugged her. He didn't need to know.

 

"Hey, Amethyst? Are you okay?"

 

"Of course little dude. Totally fine, just ready to see Vi and her boys."

 

And Garnet thought she was the only one with future vision. Well, Sapphire for now. Would their gemlings inherit that? She thought about little Sapphires- or maybe Rubies? She wasn't actually sure what their gemlings would be- running around, predicting the future events, and how their mommas would react. Were the two of them even going to refuse, or were they going to stay apart for their little ones? She had never experienced anything to do with gemlings before now, and had absolutely no clue as to what she should have expected when it came to Ruby's and Sapphire's little ones when they were finally laid and hatched, whenever that would be.

 

It had to be soon though, didn't it? Ruby looked like she was about ready to pop, and she couldn't imagine her going much longer. The already temperamental gem was starting to get unbearable, and she supposed that Ruby was lucky Sapphire loved her so much, because there was no way she could have put up with what the other did. Ruby was so emotional and clingy lately, and Amethyst found herself wondering if that had to do with how she was normally when defused for this long, or if it had to do with her carrying instincts to be closer to Sapphire right now. Did that in itself say that there would be more geodes around the house soon?

 

Speaking of geodes, when were Peridot's even supposed to hatch? If they did. She wasn't too sure herself that they were ever going to hatch, even though Sapphire and Pearl were incredibly sure that the green gem's five little geodes would hatch, and soon. Maybe they had already hatched, and that's why the two of them had been so emotional. It would make sense, as they would have been preparing for their own little ones to be running around soon, and--

 

“Amethyst! Steven! It's good to see you!” Her eyes jerked upwards and a smile played across her lips as she looked up at the human she so adored. Vidalia had her hands on her hips, smiling down at the two of them, and she couldn't help smiling back. “It's good to see you aren't breaking into my house this time. Are you looking for Onion, Steven?”

 

“Y-yeah,” the young boy piped up, giving a nervous grin, and Amethyst felt a great sense of appreciation for the young boy. She could tell he didn't like Onion, and yet he still spent time with him so that she could spend time with Vidalia, and she was grateful for that. After everything that had been going on lately, the idea of simply sitting and talking with her friend while they drank tea was almost too good of an opportunity to pass up.

 

“Ah, that's good, that's good! He's in his room. Do you need me to show you the way up there?” Steven was quick to shake his head, and she moved to let him in. The young boy disappeared inside, leaving Amethyst and Vidalia standing on the front steps. “So. Tea?”

 

“Yeah, tea.”

 

 

Before she knew it, they were both sitting on her couch, twin tea cups in their hands. Amethyst couldn't help staring at the tea while Vidalia got comfortable. It was so comforting to see the dark liquid, so at ease while her life was a complete mess. Garnet was- or rather, her components were- having geodes. Maybe even gemlings, if they hatched. Them having geodes was nothing new, since they had so long had to carry and deal with the empty husks, but it seemed odd now. Different and strange, because there was a chance that they could actually hatch. There was a chance for new gems to be born, and they wouldn't be a parasite, a drain on Earth's resources. Like she had been.

 

“Hey, Amethyst? Are you alright? You've been awfully quiet. What happened this time?” She found herself straightening up subconsciously at her questions, looking to Vidalia. There was so much she could say, but what _should_ she say? It wasn't her place to tell her what had happened with Ruby and Sapphire. Had she even told the other that they had found Peridot, let alone about the geodes that she had been carrying the entire time they had been chasing her? She couldn't remember.

 

“It's just some stuff back at the temple.”

 

“Do you want to talk about it? I'm here to listen, and I want you to remember that I care about you, okay?”

 

“Thanks. I care about you too,” she sighed, flopping back against the couch. Her free hand went to rub her eyes and she sighed. It was difficult to think of how fucked up the entire thing was. They had finally caught Peridot, but she had been carrying the entire time they had been chasing her. It had only been a month, right? Something like that. It hadn't been long, but so much had changed. She had Vidalia again, and that was good, but there was so much that could be considered bad and so much that wasn't really either. “Where should I even start?”

 

“How about the beginning?”

 

“I can do that, I guess. So, uh, did I tell you about that gem we were chasing?”

 

“Wasn't her name something like Peridot?”

 

“Yeah, her. Well, Peridot was apparently carrying geodes- which are like gem eggs- and the next time we found her, she was laying 'em. Which, wouldn't have been a big deal I guess because Pearl and Ruby still lay geodes sometimes, but apparently Homeworld was doing some experiments with carrying gems like them, and they're supposed to be fertilised. I mean, I think? Ruby's never hatch, but I know that her and Sapphire fuck all the time when they're in heat, so it's not like they wouldn't have a chance, but they just couldn't accept her material. The geodes Peridot had are supposed to be hatching soon, and Peridot gave Ruby some weird green liquid so she could lay ones that would hatch too, and that's just made her more emotional than normal lately. We had come back from a mission earlier, and she was crying, and Sapphire went to comfort her, and she started crying too, so I took Steven out, and I'm trying really hard not to freak out about this.

 

“I don't know what's going on, Vi, but it's weird. Garnet isn't around right now, because they can't fuse with Ruby carrying geodes; Peridot is around now too, and apparently we're supposed to be having more gems running around soon! Ones that aren't like me, that aren't parasites. I don't know how many there are gonna be, and I don't know what we're going to go with a bunch of new gemlings that we have to teach, and with this big war coming up that we can't do anything about, or try to prevent. I don't even know how long it's going to take them to grow, because this is all stuff that happened before I was made, and I've never dealt with anything like this before.

 

“Plus, Pearl has been acting really strange, and she knows a lot more than she should about this stuff, but I can't get her to tell me exactly how she knows it. She just brushes it off, or walks away, and it's getting really old, really fast. I mean, I want to be there for her, and I want to support her, because I care for her, and she's my team mate and my friend, but she keeps pushing me aside, like I did something wrong to hurt her or something. I don't understand what's going on at all any more.”

 

“Is she really just your friend, Amethyst?” The purple gem was quick to look at her after her rant, almost winded from everything she had just said. She was glad that Vidalia had let her get it all out, and she wasn't exactly sure the other understood everything she had said, but she had at least understood the last part, the part about Pearl. Her cheeks burned, and she looked away, arms crossed over her chest.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Don't give me that. You know exactly what I mean.” She turned back at the human woman, watching her sip her tea for a moment, before Amethyst will herself to look away again. “You want her to talk to you, and share with you. Is it because you like her?”

 

“You're being ridiculous,” she grumbled, finding herself bristling at the other's accusation, though she wasn't too sure why. She hugged her arms tighter, her cheeks still burning, and looked to the floor. “Of course I like P. We've been friends for thousands of years.”

 

“That's not what I meant, and you know it.” A warm hand found its way to her shoulder, and she glanced to it, before the body it was connected to and the head resting on the shoulders there. Vidalia was giving her a look that made her feel more at ease, and she realised exactly how much she had missed the human she had spent so much time with before. “Amethyst, I know I don't have the same bond with you that you do with Pearl, but I think I know you pretty well. You're obviously overwhelmed with this situation with geodes and what not, and I'm sorry I can't help you understand it. What I can do, though, is listen, and let you know what I think about you and Pearl.”

 

“What _do_ you think?”

 

“That you like Pearl, and you don't want to admit it to yourself. Maybe she even likes you too, and you just don't know it. You just went on a whole little ramble on the end there about how she wouldn't talk to you. Not the whole team, just you. I know you care for her, and I know she cares for you. Maybe you should try talking to her about it. Who knows what will happen. It has to be better than stewing in your emotions. Doesn't it?”

 

“I… I guess you're right.”

 

“Damn right, I'm right.”The hand withdrew, and she instantly missed it's comforting warmth as Vidalia gripped her cup again, smiling warmly at her. She had missed Vidalia's smile, and the immense level of comfort that she always received from seeing it. Taking a drink of her long forgotten and cold tea, she smiled slightly, just a little to let the other know how much she appreciated her and how much she had listened to her rant.

 

“Thanks for listening to me rant about that, Vi.”

 

“Hey, what kind of friend would I be otherwise? You needed to talk, and I'm here to listen. Are you feeling better now, after all that? And are you going to talk to her?”

 

“Yeah, I'm feeling better, and I'll talk to Pearl when me and Steven go back to the temple later.”

 

“That's good, that's good. Don't put talking to her off, it's only going to make things worse between the two of you.”

 

“I got it, I got it.” She rolled her eyes, but was thankful for the suggestion. She had greatly missed how nice it felt to have someone care, and have someone listen to her. With the way things had been lately, she hadn't really had the chance to talk with any of the gems, and hadn't wanted to disturb them with asking questions because all of this stuff went over her head. Geodes and gemlings had been way before her time, and she had never had the same problem that Ruby and Pearl had with laying geodes that never got to hatch.

 

“So, now that we've got that cleared up, you want to tell me exactly how in the world this Peridot gem was laying eggs? I didn't know you guys could do that.” Her cheeks started burning again and she swallowed, preparing herself for a long conversation on a topic she didn't fully understand herself.

 


	15. Chapter 15

With the little ones safely tucked into their basket after having small splotches of fabric folded over and pinned together to stay over their naked rumps, Peridot watched Pearl pull out a blender from one of the cabinets. She couldn't remember which one when she thought about it again not a minute later, but decided that- if she had to- she could always search through them to find the device. If she would need it. She wasn't sure yet, as Pearl had told her that they were making formula, but she wasn't sure why they would need a blender.

 

“Alright, Peridot, I've got the blender set up. Now, please pay careful attention. We wouldn't want the little ones to get the wrong mixture, would we?” She watched Pearl pull a bag down from atop the counter, and she assumed she had bought whatever was inside just in case her little ones did hatch. She found it considerate, but didn't want to interrupt their conversation to ask.

 

“What exactly are we doing anyways?” she asked cautiously as the nurturing gem started pulling out containers. She couldn't tell what they were just yet, but when the slender gem turned to face her with one in hand, it became obvious that whatever the container was called contained little capsules inside. How were those supposed to be important in making formula for gemlings?

 

“Well, we're making formula.” A larger, unmarked container came out of the bag next, and she couldn't help but be curious as to what it contained. Pearl continued to pull out a few more bottles, and she found herself more and more confused. What did all of this have to do with formula for gemlings? She didn't understand, and was even more confused when Pearl went to the fridge and got out the gallon of milk.

 

“I know that. I just mean, how are we making formula with… A blender, small capsules of some kind, milk, and… What are those other containers, and what is inside them?” Pearl turned and smiled, and she wondered how the other knew all of this. It didn't seem like something she would have had to apply to her own gemlings before, but maybe it was. She would have to ask, after she figured out how to make what was required for the little ones.

 

“The blender is to properly stir the contents, along with crush the pills to a fine powder so they dissolve and the gemlings can drink them. The milk absorbs the pills, and the pills themselves contain the proper nutrients gemlings need to grow. Currently, as most of your gemlings are peridots like yourself, I'm mixing up magnesium and iron with this blend.” She watched Pearl sort the correct ingredients about, then tilted her head curiously. That accounted for most of the containers, but not all.

 

“Well, what's that other box? The one with the fuzzy earth creature on it?” The gem on the other side of the counter blinked before turning back to look at her containers, then seemed to notice the container that Peridot had been talking about. Good, so they were getting somewhere.

 

“Oh, that's baby formula. There are certain nutrients inside that will help the developing gemlings. I've gone through and added in a good portion of diatomaceous earth for the silicon dioxide present, as both types of gemlings need it. However, for the runt, more will need to be taken in. I'll show you how to make her formula shortly, and then we'll go about feeding them. First, is the formula for the peridots.”

 

“Should I take notes?” she asked hesitantly, and the other nodded. Her fingers shifted to form a screen, ready to record exactly what the other said. She wouldn't want to get the equation for making correct formula for her little ones messed up because she couldn't remember what to put in it, and would have rather been safe than sorry later on down the line. “Okay, I'm ready.”

 

“Excellent. Now, we start with two cups of milk, four magnesium supplement pills, four iron, and a two scoops of formula. If you're only making it for two gemlings, use a cup of milk, two of each supplement, and a scoop of formula. For one gemling, you cut it in half further, but you shouldn't need to do so as long as you keep a constant schedule with their feeding habits and feed them all at relatively the same time.” Watching Pearl measure out the components carefully, she wrote down what she said about what portions to give for one gemling, and to keep a constant schedule. She could do that, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

 

“So why do we need the blender?” she asked after a moment, and the other smiled softly, putting the top on the contraption. She must have been giving her information that she had been dying to use for years without a chance. Briefly, the green gem wondered if she had had to make formula for Steven like this.

 

“We want the pills crushed up enough that they can drink it without problem,” she informed her willing student. She half turned to face Peridot as she talked, before pressing the button, and distressed screeching filled the air as it roared to life. Startled, the green gem pulled her little ones close and tried shooshing them, not knowing what to do with them and why they were so upset. Had the loud noise scared them? Their little hands grasped at the air and she stroked their heads. “Oh! Oh god, I'm so sorry!”

 

The blender was off and the little ones clambered to cling to her, obviously terrified out of their minds. She carefully picked up Byte, listening to the little one squeak and chirr as she held her close. She shifted to press a kiss to her head, surprised when a loud purr escaped her. Instantly, the gemlings seemed to calm down, and she blinked. She hadn't even thought about purring, but it had happened just like that, like it was natural. Peridot glanced up at Pearl, finding her smiling warmly at the sight.

 

“What?” she demanded, and Pearl waved a hand, as if trying to make sure she hadn't offended the green gem.

 

“Nothing.”

 

"Don't lie to me! I know it's not nothing. Why were you smiling like that? And how do you know all of this stuff anyways?" Pearl shifted, almost uncomfortably, and she narrowed her eyes. She set the gemling back in the basket, and the other gem turned, looking inside the blender. Her posture was tense, like she was ready to run away, and Peridot was about to ask again, when Pearl's shoulders sagged and she sighed.

 

“I thought seeing you being such a loving mother was adorable, Peridot. As for how I know all of this stuff, well…” Pearl still wasn't looking at her, looking at the mixture, and she wanted to say something, anything, but didn't know what. “I told you that I had my own gemlings so long ago, but back then, I didn't have to make formula like this. I didn't know that the little ones would react like that, I'm sorry.”

 

“What do you mean?” It came out before she could stop it, slipping out in a rush of air. She was about to take it back, before Pearl turned to look at her, her expression unreadable and almost scary. She had never seen her look like that before, and wasn't sure how to take it.

 

“They removed so much more than you're aware of, Peridot. You're just a child, compared to those like myself, but...” Another pause, more hesitation, and the green gem regretted having asked anything about how Pearl had knew all of this. “Back when I had my gemlings, gems didn't need to make formula like this, because we made our own. Almost like mammals, really. Not the same, but almost. I wasn't aware of this when I had been made, but the moment I saw their little faces breaking free from their shells… My instincts kicked in. Just like your own, I suppose. How you had purred reminded me of holding them for the first time.

 

“I didn't dare use a rag for their sensitive skin, and took to cleaning them myself. I wouldn't have dared to ask you to do so, because I can tell that there are many differences between you and how I was when I first had my little ones. You came to ask for help, but I hadn't dared let anyone beside their sire near my gemlings. Once I had them cleaned, I fed them, and…” More hesitation, and Peridot looked to her little ones. Were there really that many differences between how she took care of her own gemlings, and how Pearl had taken care of hers?

 

“And?” she probed gently, glancing back up at the older gem. Pearl bit her lip, almost hesitating again, before sighing.

 

“And their sire found me, curled up with all sixteen of my little ones. Out of them, I only had three little pearls- and they were perfect. I remember the names my mate had given them. Dawn, Flitter, and Sugar, all so small compared to their sisters… I remember being glad there was only three, because they would have had to face the same things I did. They didn't, in the end, because none of them made it past the academy. I watched Dawn, my runt, fall on the first day, before we had even left. I watched her be crushed.” She glanced down, staring at her hands, and Peridot instantly regretted prodding further. She hadn't wanted this, to hurt her like she had. She had just wanted more on the history of gem reproduction, because she still wasn't sure what she had involved herself into. Now, Pearl looked ready to cry, and she wasn't sure she could help her.

 

“I'm sorry, Pearl.” The other gem looked away, back to the blender and counter, and Peridot wondered if she was crying. She wanted to say something, anything, but her mouth was dry and she wasn't sure what to say. What could she say? She couldn't imagine watching Byte grow up, only to be crushed underfoot as she watched.

 

“It's not your fault, so don't be sorry. I… W-we should go back to worrying about your little ones. The formula for the peridots isn't fixed completely, but we can do it manually. I'll do it, and you watch for now. Then I'll show you how to make the formula for Byte.” With a swallow, she looked at the little ones. So small, so innocent still. Their eyes weren't even open, and were barely bigger than her hand. Byte was even smaller, just fitting in the palm when she held her. They couldn't even project their own clothes yet.

 

“Okay,” she said softly, looking back at Pearl. She didn't turn around so Peridot couldn't see her face, but she could see her shoulders shaking as she cried.

 

* * *

 

“We're home!” Steven cried as the door flung open, Amethyst following close behind him. She seemed more upbeat now after her talk with Vidalia, and Steven was proud to see it. Sure, she was almost nervous to be coming back, but he wasn't worried about that. She seemed at ease, and that was what was mattered. However, his mind was drawn to Peridot when he finally noticed her, seeing her sitting at the counter with a basket in her lamp. No heat lamp was in sight, but she held a small… thing… in her hand, a small pet bottle in the other. He gasped, and she looked to him.

 

“Oh, hello Steven.”

 

“Peridot! Is that...”

 

“Steven, I'd like you to meet Dottie.” He was beside her on the burnt stool in seconds, barely noting that Pearl was in the kitchen cleaning up. His attention was focused on the four small bodies curled up in the basket, and how small they were. Their geodes hadn't been big, but he hadn't expected them to be so… tiny. Some distant part of him was telling him to protect the little ones, because they couldn't protect themselves and needed him. Was this how the Crystal Gems saw him? “Would you like to hold one? You can help me feed them.”

 

“R-really?” The same distant part of him was telling him that this was an intimate thing, something he shouldn't be disturbing, but something inside of him was telling him to say yes, because Peridot needed help, and he was going to give it. The feelings were strange, foreign as it was to him, but he decided to ask Pearl or Sapphire about it later. Normally, he would have asked Garnet, but she wasn't around to do so now.

 

“Yes, really. Pearl taught me how to make formula for them, and I've already fed Byte.” She shifted, and he swallowed, giving her an unsure look. She gave him a small smile, and he carefully scooped up one of the little ones, holding it close. It was the other nonstriped peridot gemling, Data if he remembered correctly. He found himself purring, the gemling responding by clinging to his shirt with a soft chirr. Steven hadn't been expecting a purr to escape him, and hadn't even know he _could_ purr, until then. He swallowed and looked to Peridot and she blinked, before smiling. She gave him one of the bottles on the counter and he took it, surprised to find it about the same size as the little one he held.

 

“They're so small,” he mumbled, and he noticed Peridot nodding out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to protect them, because they needed his protection, though he wasn't sure what part of him was saying so. Maybe it was the same part that had him purring and told him the proper way to cradle the little one. Steven barely noticed the look Pearl was giving him, seeming bewildered, but he decided to question it all later. Right now, Data was purring as she clung to him, and all of his attention was on her. She needed him, and he would be there for her.

 


	16. Chapter 16

It felt like an eternity that they sat there after Steven and Amethyst left, holding each other like they were anchors to the reality that, yes, they were going to have gemlings. They were going to have baby gems, all of their own, as long as their geodes were fine and hatched. Ruby couldn't believe it, ready to hold her little ones- or at least hold their geodes. It would still be a while before they hatched, and that was an if. Just because they had the possibility to didn't mean that they would. She pressed her hand to her stomach, feeling the little orbs under the skin. A spur of pain dug into her side and she gasped against Sapphire, because it was more than the digs it had been before. This was intense, and she knew it instantly as the start of a long process. At least this time, they had hope.

 

“Ruby? Ruby, what's wrong?” She shifted, feeling an uncomfortable stickiness in her shorts that clung to her movements, and a shaky exhale escaped her. Gross. She had forgotten that sickening detail of laying, but wasn't concerned about that at the moment. She was too elated to worry, knowing that they would hatch when the time came. There would- hopefully- not be any geodes that they had to bubble or dispose of because nothing had came from their results.

 

“Temple, Sapphire,” she huffed, and Sapphire pulled back, before nodding. She felt herself being lifted into the other's arms, and carried carefully to the temple. There was no rush, as they had hours before the geodes would be forcing their way into the world, but she still didn't want the others to catch her. Especially not Steven. She couldn't imagine dealing with the questions he was sure to ask, regarding the entire situation. It was already bad enough as it was, let alone adding in anything about labour.

 

“I've got you,” Sapphire sighed, soft and sweet enough to reassure her. It resonated in her bones, calming her to the core, as her lover always managed to do with such ease. She knew then that everything would be okay. Their little ones would be welcomed into the world, because they were going to make it. They had to. She couldn't imagine having to bubble these as well, not after Peridot's five geodes had hatched with so much trauma to her while she was carrying; part of her was amazed that they had, before another dig stabbed into her side. Oh, that was much quicker than normal.

 

The door to the temple opened, letting them inside as Sapphire carefully carried her in. She set her down and sat down beside her, wrapping her arms around her. Cool hands moved to her taut stomach, massaging the tight skin, and she was grateful for the attention, as her lovely singer had a way of relaxing her and making the process that much easier with just a simple touch. It was amazing, in a strange way, to think about how easily she did manage to relax her, when all she ever really had to do was lay a hand on her stomach, or say a plain sentence, and she'd be decompressed to the very essence of her being.

 

“How long?” At the cool words, she nuzzled into her lover and sighed, her own hand moving to rest atop the gloved one perched so carefully on her stomach. Another dig, another shift of the geodes as they ripped the membrane containing them, and she couldn't hold back the wince that managed to tear through her, like their darling geodes were tearing through what kept them from clashing into one another.

 

“Not long, I don't think. They're coming a lot faster than normal,” she groaned, and the cool hand kneaded the skin gently, as if she could simply push the ache from her with her fingers and help extract the little ones instead of the normally painful method she had to go through so damn often that it tore at her heart. However, it made the pain easier to go through with knowing that these, their little geodes, had a chance this time.

 

“Alright. You can do it, I know you can. You've done this before, but these… They have a chance, and I know it.” She nodded, and turned to press a kiss to Sapphire's lips for a fleeting moment, wanting to enjoy the other gem's presence. Another dig, and she let out a sharp exhale as the gloved hand moved, tugging at her shorts. “Come on now. Phase them off. You're going to have to eventually, and I think it's going to be sooner than later with how fast it seems like they're coming.”

 

“It's irregular,” she grumbled, but her shorts faded away in the next instance, leaving her bare from the hem of her shirt down. A sticky fluid coated her thighs and she exhaled, leaning back as Sapphire moved from her side.

 

“I know, I know. Just think, after this we'll have geodes.” There was a pause, then Sapphire smiled a wonderfully bright smile that made her entire being feel warm, but not hot like she was losing control over her influence of heat. She was using her future vision, wasn't she? “Seven healthy geodes. Two blues, a wonderful red, an amazing little purple geode, and pinks. Three of them. Oh, Ruby, they take so wonderfully after you, I can't wait for you to see them.”

 

A dig that was more painful, but she fought to put a smile on her face as the tears started bubbling up. She couldn't wait to see them either, to see her wonderful geodes and see them shine, when none of her other ones ever had, not for a single moment in their moments of hopefulness. Pinks sounded odd, along with the purple, but when she thought it over, it made sense. Sapphires were different colours, and it seemed plausible that some of their little ones would be lighter rubies, or pink sapphires. The purple, however, sounded more like a garnet, like what they would be after this was over.

 

Or would they be? She wanted to fuse, and be with her love again as a whole instead of two parts, but would it be better for their little ones if they stayed apart? She couldn't imagine raising them solely one way or another, but knew that their scents had to be on the geodes as both parts of a whole and as separates if they were going to mix together. Ruby didn't have the luxury of future vision alone, and couldn't see how the gemlings would react to having them fuse, but hoped that it would be okay. It seemed like it would be all trial and error, and making up for mistakes, but she wasn't sure if it would be worth it to mess up while raising such precious lives.

 

The next dig was sharper, painful to a much greater extent- as if a knife had been driven right into her abdomen next to her little ones, and a cry escaped her. It wasn't too loud, thankfully, but Sapphire didn't seem to acknowledge it, besides resting a cool hand on her stomach. She glanced down, seeing that her gloves were gone and the other was still smiling, although very faintly, so to ease her worries and fears.

 

“It'll be alright. I'm right here. I can see the first one, a beautiful hot pink little one. Just push for me, alright? She'll be out soon, just push for me.” She took a deep breath and let it out slow, and with the next painful stab that rang through her body, she pushed as Sapphire had told her to do. She couldn't wait to see them and hold their geodes, because she just had to see the bright shine for herself. She couldn't wait. She wanted to see them shine in the light, collecting it in, and letting their parents know that yes, they were making physical forms, and would be ready to enter the world when the time came.

 

Ruby was too excited to even care when the next painful wave hit her, aside from crying out, knowing that it was worth it and that they'd have their own little ones to hold. They were going to make it, she was sure of it. They had to. There was no way she could deal with having to bubble more geodes, ones that they had such high hopes for. She couldn't do it, they had to hatch. The next wave came, and went with another push, before the stabbing in her stomach seemed to be relieved for only a moment. In the next, Sapphire held up a hot pink geode, so wonderful and perfect, that she starts earnestly sobbing. The light trails of tears were suddenly harsh rivers, because it was shining and bright, not dull and worthless. A strong little geode, a wonderful and perfect little geode, that a choked sob escaped her at the next stab, because they wouldn't have to bubble them, and put them away to be remembered and regretted, because they had a chance. They had a fucking _chance_ this time. Finally, their little ones could make it. _Would_ make it.


	17. Chapter 17

It was hours later that Sapphire could finally wipe her hands free of the fluids that so coated them. Her vision had been true to the very detail, as seven little geodes sat in a wonderful pile. One purple, one red, two blues, and three pinks. Ruby had curled around the pile with a loud and thunderous purr, holding the little ones close as she fell into a deep sleep. It was an adorable sight, though one glance around made her brows furrow. Laying fluids had covered not only her hands, but some of the surrounding area as well, and she was sure that some of it was on Ruby's thighs as well.

 

A sigh escaped her as she stood, knowing that she had to clean it up. Ruby was too tired to do anything right now, and she wouldn't make her. Her precious stone could rest while she cleaned herself up, wiped up the fluids, and checked to see if Peridot's brood needed the heating lamp anymore. She didn't see anything that would say so, but that wouldn't necessarily true. It was just likely to happen.

 

With a quick glance behind her to get a good look over her lover and their new young- young that had a _chance_ this time- Sapphire took a few steps away from where she had sat for the last few hours while helping her lover with the long process of laying and summoned the door out of the temple as she always did. It cracked open with the normal chime, causing her to spare a glance behind her to make sure that the noise hadn't woken up Ruby since she had just fallen asleep, before she stepped out of the temple and into the house.

 

The sky was dark, not that she had expected anything different, and Steven was no where to be seen. She could hear the distant running of the shower and knew that their charge was the source of the noise. Peridot slept soundly on the couch and cradled the basket that held small snoozing forms of her gemlings close to her, while Pearl was busying cleaning up what looked like a blender in the kitchen. Sapphire's hands itched to get Ruby's laying fluids off of them, mostly dried as they were, and she made her way over to the kitchen, and her team-mate.

 

“Oh, hello Sapphire,” Pearl greeted softly, and she gave her a small wave in response, before scowling at the slightly red tinted liquid that hand made a film on her skin. The servant gem seemed to notice this as well, raising a brow as a smile began to break across her face. She knew what Ruby's tinted fluids meant, and Sapphire could tell from the smile what she was going to say before her lips dared to part to ask. It had nothing to do with future vision. “Is that...?”

 

“Yes,” she answered, swallowing down the worry bubbling in her throat. She made her way to the sink, feeling Pearl's eyes on her every step of the way. She couldn't suppress the smile that pressed forth, almost giddy in her excitement as she turned on the facet and started washing her hands. “There's seven. Three pinks, a red, two blues, and a purple. They're shimmering, _shimmering_ Pearl. I... I can't believe it. I didn't think they were going to make it, but they have a chance. For once, they have a chance.”

 

There was a moment of shuffling, before Pearl's arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace. The water was pushed away from her cleaned hands in an instance, and she found herself shifting to wrap her arms around the gem she had spent thousands of years with on this planet, that was possibly the only other gem that could understand her pain. Sapphire felt the rush of emotions she had been holding back break out of her in one moment, tears starting to pour out of her eye as she buried her face against Pearl.

 

“Oh Sapphire, I'm so happy for you. I can't even begin to imagine how happy you are right now, and I know that it's something you two have wanted for ages. I suppose you'll need the heating lamp, won't you?” She nodded slightly against the taller gem, unable to believe how weak she was in that moment. “Seven little ones. Seven. Oh my goodness, wait until we tell Amethyst and Steven. They'll be so happy to hear it.”

 

“I… I can't believe it myself really,” she mumbled, giving a soft chuckle as she pulled away from Pearl, enough to look at her. She wasn't interested in pulling away completely, glad to have the bit of contact from her team-mate. “I never thought this would happen, even if I could see the possibility. It didn't seem possible, but they're really here now. Just like Ruby, ya know? They're showing off already, telling us that they're alive.” A warm thumb wiped under her eye, a soft purr emanating from her long time friend.

 

“Just wait, one more month Sapphire. One more month and they'll hatch.” She nodded, turning her face slightly into the hand that had wiped her tears away. Normally that would have been something only reserved for Ruby, but Pearl wasn't just some random gem that she had just met. Pearl had been around with the two of them long before they had permanently became one, had fought with them alongside Rose and so many other gems, had held the both of them in their anguish after the last litter that had seemed to have a chance, and now was here with her to hold her as her emotions got the better of her. She couldn't have asked for a better friend, even if Pearl had hurt them both in the long years that they had known each other.

 

“Just one month,” Sapphire mumbled, unable to stop smiling at the thought of her and Ruby's beautiful gemlings running around, because maybe this litter finally would.

 


	18. Chapter 18

The coughing fits had started at barely a day old. Data, all fluffy hair and little toothless nips, had started coughing after Steven had carefully helped her feed the little ones. A small cough really, but for a small body, it was large and racked her to the point that she had become hoarse. She shook and quaked with each little cough, and it hurt Peridot to see her little one so messed up. Data was obviously in pain when the fits started up, but there was nothing she could do for her.

 

Pearl had been helping her care for the little one the best she could. However, there was only so much they could do for her. None of the human medicines seemed to be working, and her coughing had only gotten worse. It had been a week now, and she was still coughing herself to the point she was almost impossible to care for. On the rare occasions they could get her to try eating, she would often start coughing in the middle of it, and choke. Quite a few times Pearl had taken the choking gemling from her with nimble fingers and whisk her away, fretting over the little one and the formula inside her.

 

Thankfully, none of the other gemlings seemed to be affected. At least, not that she could see. It made it easier at least, knowing that she could care for all of them- including her runt, who was much healthier than Data it seemed- without risk of them starting up coughing spells that would wake them from naps. However, this meant that her sick gemling required quite a bit of doting on, since she couldn't seem to sleep peacefully and was always fussy. It was no surprise for those in the house to be bombarded with coughing noises at any period during the day, unless Peridot had taken them to the temple. What was a surprise was when the coughing stopped.

 

Mixing the different proportions of the correct ingredients into the blender, Peridot couldn't help but feel so desperately alone in the house then. Steven and Amethyst had run off to the boardwalk from her understanding of their excited chatter, while Pearl had slipped into the temple earlier with the fusion to check on the geodes wrapped up inside near the temple's heart. Around the working peridot, crying filled the air, desperate gemlings begging her to feed them. Crying for four, and coughing for one.

 

“I'm working on it, please stop crying,” she begged the little ones for the millionth time since they had awoken. Though they hadn't opened their eyes yet, they had seemed to grasp that she was their mother and responded to her begging with louder cries for attention. A quick glance at the basket perched on the bar and she could see little flailing arms, grasping for her she assumed. Not having the time to reassure them, she turned on the blender, knowing their cries would at least be quieted. Over the last week, the gemlings had come to associate the sound with the knowledge that food would be forthcoming, even if it took a little while as their mother struggled on working the piece of technology.

 

With a relieved sigh, she turned off the blender and found the room completely silent. No crying. Good, that meant they were placated. She rushed to fill four bottles with the mixture, pouring the rest into the container that Pearl had given her to store the leftover milk. Instead of this being blended each time, it simply had to be shaken, and while this was greatly appreciated, she had run out during the last feeding time and hadn't had the time to make more until then. Byte still had formula in her own container for now, and she shook it up before pouring a bottle for the runt. Carefully, she carried the five bottles over to her quiet clutch, and started feeding them.

 

Byte was first, to make sure that Peridot didn't mix up the bottles, and the little one clawed at the small bottle as she suckled, drinking it down eagerly as if her entire life had been spent waiting on the liquid inside. Unable to help herself, Peridot started purring and got a soft purr in response as Byte drank it down. The bottle was soon emptied and the gemling replaced in the pile of her sisters, put atop so not to be squished.

 

Next was a growling little Streak, her face scrunched up angrily as she held onto the bottle the best she could with her unsteady fingers. Peridot purred to her as well, though she knew that Streak wouldn't purr back until she was satisfied and the bottle drained. It came soon enough and the bottle was set down, while Peridot took a moment to simply look over her largest gemling. Streak was now purring back, though her face was still scrunched up as if in pain. Just as her mother began to wonder what was wrong with her, her eyes cracked open slowly. A bleary blink and the gemling started chirring, her yellow eyes unfocused as she stared.

 

“Oh, you… You opened your eyes,” Peridot gasped, amazed at the sight of Streak staring at her, the first gemling of hers to open her eyes and be introduced to the world. Pride flooded her, but a chirr from the basket reminded her that she had other gemlings to attend to, so Streak was put back in the mostly quiet basket. Dottie was fed next, purring but otherwise quiet in her grip as passively as possible for the gemling. She lightly held onto the bottle, no where near as aggressive as her sisters had been. Dottie seemed content with simply being held.

 

Last was Smudge, holding onto the bottle and purring happily. Occasionally, the gemling would spit out the nipple and chirr at her mother, seeming to be wanting attention. Peridot was quick to supply it by rubbing her thumb lightly over her head, effectively petting the gemling as she coaxed her back into finishing the bottle off. By the end of it, Smudge was put carefully back into the basket, and Peridot smiled at the sight of her four gemlings curled up in the basket together.

 

Wait. Four?

 

A quick count confirmed that, yes, only four gemlings resided in the basket. She looked to the bottles she had made and noticed a full bottle staring back at her. A fifth bottle. Panic filled her, and for the first time, she noticed that there was no coughing. Her heart thudding, she carefully lifted and shifted the now aggravated gemlings to check and see if maybe Data had been somewhere where she simply couldn't see her, only to find a small and green little gem under Byte. Every thing seemed to come to a standstill as she picked up the tiny gem, careful not to crush it between her fingers. In the next moment, she realised exactly what it meant, and her entire world came crashing down around her in a wail of despair.

 

And, for the first time since it had started, Peridot missed the coughing.


	19. Chapter 19

Leaning against the railing of the porch, Pearl could see Steven working on a sand castle with his father. From where she stood, she could hear their laughter, though it was softer than it would have been if she was closer, and their conversation was just chatter, not a word of which she could understand. Greg had come to visit after Steven had found out about the lost gemling, and done his best to heal it. However, nothing had come to frution, just as she had knew it would. They could have soaked it in Rose's fountain for a thousand years and it would still never reform. Sad as it was, it was to be expected.

 

In all honesty, Pearl was surprised more of them hadn't retreated into their gems for the first and final time. Gemlings weren't equipped to reform like adult gems. Their own gems were small and underdeveloped, and they had to last at least a few years before they could even attempt to reform, and even then, it had been suggested that gemlings be protected until they were adults at least. That was why kindergartens had been taken up instead, as they provided quick soldiers that could reform instantly if need be. More were normally produced, with the most you could get from a kindergarten being in the thousands and from one clutch, one would be lucky to get twenty.

 

In the case of Peridot's clutch, four was an incredibly small number to have survived from the over all total, but for the carrier to have came crashing down on a planet and lost most of the clutch to cracked shells or being completely shattered, four was… Acceptable, considering all of the impurities that could have came through in the crash. Losing one to a gem problem was to be expected, and satisfactory. Perhaps not to the Authority, but she had a feeling that the Authority wasn't looking for Peridot, Jasper, or the gemlings. Not after having failed their missions, if she were to take a guess as to why. Chances were, the three other gems and the gemlings were now stuck on Earth, though she had to wonder if the other two would cooperate like Peridot had, or be forced into a bubble.

 

A sudden slam behind her alerted her to the presence of another gem moments before Amethyst stepped up next to her. They were both quiet for a moment, watching Greg and Steven enjoying their time on the beach, before Pearl turned to look at Amethyst and gave her a slight smile. The quartz gem gave her a warm one in return, a light blush on her cheeks that Pearl found absolutely adorable. She could visibly see Amethyst swallow, and raised a brow at this, wondering what was going on inside the younger gem's head. Before she could ask however, Amethyst began to speak.

 

“Pearl, I uh… I was wonderin'… Would you like to go to the movies with me this Saturday?” Her brow was raised further as she glanced over the other, noticing that Amethyst was having trouble meeting her eye, and her fingers were fidgeting, running over each other nervously. What was bothering her? Was something wrong?

 

“I'd love to,” she started, smiling at Amethyst, and noticing her relax, she turned to fully face, “but, what's the event? You've never asked for me to go with you anywhere like this before.”

 

Amethyst was instantly tense once more, and she could see her swallow again, fidgeting more with her hands. What was this about? She wanted to question her more, but decided to give her time to come up with an answer instead of forcing it out of her. After a moment, Amethyst took a deep breath and turned to look at her fully, cheeks alight with a dark blush that Pearl found incredibly endearing.

 

“It's a date, P. I want to go on a date with you. I… I really like you, and... if that makes you not want to go with me to the movies anymore, then I understand, and you don't have to. I'm not gonna force you or anything, 'cause you didn't know what you were signing up for.”

 

For a moment, she froze, blinking at Amethyst's admission. She certainly hadn't been expecting _that_ , though she wasn't sure what she had been expecting, really. Pearl took a moment to comprehend exactly the situation at hand, and her own feelings on the matter. She loved Amethyst, of course, but the question that rang through was: did she love her that way? Sure, Amethyst was adorable, funny, caring, smart…

 

“I'd still love to go, Amethyst,” she told her, feeling a light blush starting to coat her own cheeks. “A date sounds wonderful. Especially one with you.” Amethyst turned to her and, for a moment, she looked stunned, before beaming up at the taller gem and nodding frantically, her face breaking out into a large and absolutely stunning grin that warmed Pearl's heart to know she had caused. She really was wonderful, and if Pearl was being honest to herself, beautiful.

 

“Great! Then it's date! How does around eight sound?” Amethyst asked enthusiastically, and Pearl nodded her response, watching Amethyst dance from one foot to the other in pure joy.

 

“Eight is perfect, Amethyst,” she hummed, and heard the door crack open behind them. She spared a quick glance, expecting to see Peridot coming to ask for her help with the gemlings again, but instead stood Garnet, smirking as she watched Amethyst's joy for a few moments, before clearing her throat. Pearl had a feeling that Garnet had been waiting for things to work out between the two of them before coming out, and she wondered if she had been watching from inside the entire time, or just knew from her future vision when to come out without interrupting their moment together.

 

“If I may, I'd like to have a word with you, Pearl.” She gave a slight nod, watching as Amethyst blushed and stilled, looking away from the other two gems and blushing darkly from having been caught during their moment together.

 

“O-of course, Garnet,” she assured, nervous about what their leader could possibly want from her. Part of her was scared that Ruby had finally remembered what she was going to ask her beforehand, but she did her best not to think about it. Garnet had no clue about the gemlings she and Rose had those thousands of years ago, and she would rather have kept it that way.

 

“I'll leave you guys alone then,” Amethyst mumbled after a moment, and Garnet shook her head, smiling at the smaller gem before them.

 

“No, Amethyst, you should come too. This is something that I'd rather us all discuss together.” She could have sworn Garnet's eyes met her own behind her shades, but she could never be sure. There was no telling what she meant by that, but it still had her momentarily scared. She couldn't mean what she thought she did, did she? Surely Garnet was talking about something else, and had something else on the mind.

 

“Alright,” Amethyst mumbled uncertainly, and she looped her own fingers together nervously, uncertain about what was going to happen next. A moment later she felt a gentle tug at her hand and glanced down to see a purple hand pulling one of her hands close, looping their fingers together. She spared a glance at Amethyst and got a small smile in return that she could tell was meant to comfort her, and quickly returned it, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Together, the three of them made their way inside, stepping past the couch where Peridot was sleeping with the four gemlings and gem she still had hope for, and into the temple. Garnet held the door open for them, and carefully, they entered the temple, away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears.


	20. Chapter 20

The door slid shut behind them and Pearl couldn't help but give Amethyst's hand another squeeze, if only to reassure herself. Amethyst squeezed back reassuringly and she glanced at her, giving a small smile, before taking in their surroundings while she had the chance. They stood in the temple heart, just the three of them, the bubbled gems, and the geodes. They were arranged in a soft blanket that retained heat well, and if memory served, was also one to provide heat when plugged in. The heating lamp Peridot had used for her geodes was with Garnet's, and she wondered if Garnet had been cuddling with the geodes again before coming to find them.

 

With her mind drawing to the fusion, she glanced to her and noticed the smile. When Ruby and Sapphire had refused for the first time after Ruby had laid, Garnet had been ecstatic to be back and spent at least an hour enjoying being herself before going to the geodes. Pearl hadn't seen her for a couple days after that, and when the temple door to her room opened, Ruby and Sapphire were the two to step out. Now she was back again, and seemed ecstatic to be herself. Pearl was rather delighted with the outcome, glad to know at least the two of them could live a happy life with their gemlings.

 

"Pearl," Garnet started, and she felt new again, fresh from forming for the first time. She felt weak and small, but there was a gentle squeeze to her hand that instantly calmed her fast beating heart. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze back, and stood tall.

 

"Yes, Garnet?" she asked carefully, hating the way her stomach rolled with nerves. She felt as if she was going to be sick, and did her best to hold her emotions back. She didn't want to tip the other off and have her figure out that something was making her nervous, though she had a feeling they both already knew that. What they didn't know, however, was what exactly was. She was scared for this conversation, scared to be asked the dreaded question that would reveal everything she had been hiding for over five thousand years. It made her stomach turn, but Garnet was calm, trying to be caring, and it helped calm her nerves slightly.

 

"Why do you know so much about geodes and gemlings?" Garnet asked, and Pearl felt her stomach knot. She felt physically sick, as if she was going to throw up, and if she had anything in her stomach, then she might have. She squeezed Amethyst's hand and felt her breathing speed up, because she couldn't tell them. She couldn't. It was their secret, theirs, and she didn't want anyone to know it.

 

But... She had to. They had to know. She couldn't hide their gemlings from them forever. It felt as if she were forgetting them by hiding them, or perhaps that she was ashamed of the gemlings that she had raised. That was the farthest from the truth as possible, she had loved each and every one of her daughters and missed them all. She had to tell Garnet and Amethyst, but there was no way she could... But Pink could.

 

With a harsh swallow and blinking back tears, Pearl let go of Amethyst's hand, ignoring the worried look on her face. Her hands went to her gem and she focused on the object of her desire: an old holopad that she had been holding onto for years now. In moments, the desired object was in her grip, extracted from her gem. It was in power saving mode, nothing but a small and mostly flat, dark grey metal rectangle that made up the four sides when opened. She swallowed again, this time much easier than before because she knew what she had to do, and carefully flicked it on with the swipe of a switch. The holopad slowly opened and quickly scanned her gem to allow her entry, before the welcoming screen appeared on the thin and pink translucent surface that the screen was made of. She held it out to Garnet, ignoring the surprised looks the two other Crystal Gems held.

 

"Here. This... This should explain everything," she said softly, unable to dare try explaining herself. The videos recorded on the thin surface that made up the holopad would certainly explain much better than she ever could. It had it all, and everything that had faded from her memory over the thousands of years would be displayed perfectly and in tact. She was relieved she still held onto it and that it still worked, because she couldn't imagine having to try explaining her original purpose in life, nor what had happened since.

 

"What... What is that?" Amethyst asked, and she glanced to her, taking in every little ounce of emotion on her face. The other gem had to be worried, she could tell, and she gave a soft sigh. At least this she could answer with ease, compared to before.

 

"It's... A holopad. Homeworld used them before we started the rebellion. It's got everything that you'll need to know recorded on it," she said quietly, before feeling plump limbs wrapping around her waist. She glanced down and caught Amethyst's eye as she gazed up at her, and gave her a warm smile, ruffling her hair affectionately.

 

"Ah... Thank you, Pearl. Shall we watch it now?" Garnet asked the two, and Pearl could only nod. Together, the three of them moved to sit against one of the walls, Garnet holding the holopad. Pearl sat next to her and Amethyst clambered onto her lap, peeking at the unfamiliar object. Pearl's long and thin arms wrapped around the quartz gem and she nuzzled her, watching Garnet navigate through the interface expertly. Had she ever used one before, or did she just know what buttons to hit because of foreseeing the futures of hitting the others? Pearl couldn't be sure for either option. Before she knew it, she saw the videos splayed out in a line, and watched Garnet hit the first of the videos. Her anxiety skyrocketed and she buried her face against Amethyst's head, just in time to hear Rose's voice fill the air.

 

"Log Date, 2/09/78. This is Pink Diamond, reporting in about the new pearl I had been given by White Diamond..."


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Friendly reminder that Rose is Pink Diamond in this fic, and the diamonds are normal sized gems.

“Log Date, 2/09/78. This is Pink Diamond, reporting in about the new pearl I had been given by White Diamond. As my previous reports have stated...” Unable to help herself, Pink paused. Her lips pursed and she ran a hand through her hair, fingers tangling in the locks and tugging her way through slowly and carefully. A sigh slipped free and she grabbed the holopad off its stand, shifting it in her grasp. “I don’t know why I’m being so formal with this. No one else will ever hear it. It’s just a personal log, White Diamond doesn’t care about how Pearl is fairing.”

  


She glanced towards the doorway a moment later, lips pursed in thought and thrumming her fingers lightly against the cool metal. She wasn’t expecting Pearl to wake up any time soon, so she wasn’t sure what she was worried about. Even if she did wake soon, she wouldn’t be worried about Pink and her holopad. Not right now, no. She’d be more worried about keeping the geodes warm, or maybe getting something to gain her strength back up. She couldn’t be sure. Though she had done her research on geode and gemling care, it never really talked about how the carrier gem felt. It hadn’t mentioned the stomach pains Pearl had felt, or the need for affection. It sure as hell hadn’t mentioned the mess labour would make, something Pink had found out the hard way earlier that day.

  


She had only left Pearl alone for a moment, really. It wasn’t that long. A couple hours, maybe three at most, no more than that. A warm and affectionate kiss to the gem was all that was needed for Pearl to be reassured she would be back soon, and she had every intent to be back soon. It was just a simple meeting after all, talking to a couple of peridot technicians about the development of local Kindergartens. However, when she had got back, Pearl wasn’t there to greet her at the door like normal.

  


Admittedly, it had given her quite the scare. Despite telling her multiple times that she didn't need to stand by the door and wait for her while she was out, Pearl always insisted that she wanted to, if only so she could make sure to greet her when she had gotten back to her home. It was endearing and incredibly sweet of her to do, and over time, she had gotten used to it, even if Pearl carrying kicked back up her protests. She didn't want her to stand for too long, especially not if she could be out for hours at a time, and after a long argument between the two, she had eventually moved a chair over so that when Pearl got too tired from standing, she could make herself comfortable in the seat while she waited for Pink to return.

  


It had taken awhile for Pearl to stop being so stubbornly set in her ways, but by the time the geodes were starting to weigh her down, Pink had finally managed to convince her to take a seat when she needed it. A few times in the beginning, Pearl would jerk upright when she came back, scrambling to her feet as if Pink was one to punish her for sitting down. However, by the end of the gestation period, Pearl was comfortably seated in her chair and waited patiently until Pink offered her a hand to help her stand before she would rise out of the chair.

  


She had gotten used to Pearl being the first thing she thought of when she entered the house, and as such, was completely shocked when she wasn't there. It left a bitter taste in her mouth and an uneasy feeling bubbling up in her gut. At the time, Pink had no clue why Pearl wasn't there to greet her, and the worst scenarios were the ones to pop to the forefront of her mind. Perhaps an assassin had gotten in somehow and made her reform and destroy the geodes, or she had been tricked into going outside and being kidnapped, or she was still inside the house and being held captive, or she had fallen off the chair and cracked her gem. The possibilities were endless, and for a moment, everything froze. She was only relieved once she realised that the door had still been shut and there were no gem shards around to be found.

  


The only other place Pearl could have been would have been the nest she had made in their room, and that was the first and only place she had to look. She found Pearl there, naked and covered in disgusting laying fluids, while curled around sixteen geodes that shown brightly. The simple sight made her breath hitch in her throat, and she found tears streaming her cheeks as she realised that she had missed it. The big moment, the laying of their young, and she had been away in a meeting. A dumb meeting about kindergarten placement with a couple of peridots that really should have been able to handle it on their own. Instead, they had requested her help, and she had missed her wonderful and lovely Pearl laying because of it. Pink had left the room then, if only because she didn't want to wake the other gem after such a strenuous event with her silly tears.

  


A couple of hours had passed since then, and now, she made her way to their room to look at the geodes and Pearl again. The holopad was light in her fingers, barely noticeable, but her heavy heart made up for it. She couldn't believe she had missed being there with Pearl while she laid, and shifted the holopad so that it could capture the image before her, of her beautiful Pearl curled up with their geodes. She hated that she missed being a supportive mate for her, after telling her countless times that she would be there for her and help her through it. Instead, she had missed it, and Pearl had to do it all alone. She felt horrible, and couldn't even apologise right now, not without waking her up.

  


“So,” she said quietly to the device in her hands, shifting it a bit closer to her face so that it hopefully wouldn't wake Pearl while she was talking, “here is Pearl, and our geodes. They're wonderful little things, aren't they? They're glowing so bright… I can't wait to see them hatch. I missed them being laid though, and I hate myself for it. I was in a meeting, and she must have went into labour while I was gone. Sorry she's a bit messy, if anyone else is actually watching this. She hasn't woke up yet, and I don't want to wake her.”

  


Pearl slept peacefully as she recorded her, still naked and curled around the geodes. It was hard to see them really, but they were definitely glowing in a warm way that melted Pink's heart. Carefully, she moved to sit down and shifted the holopad to record her face again, sitting in such a way that Pearl's head was still in the shot, sleeping peacefully. She didn't like getting into the nest, not without Pearl's permission, so she sat outside it. Countless times before Pearl had told her it was okay, but she was asleep, and could quite possibly be feral when she woke up. Even if she was the sire of the geodes, she had no clue what Pearl might do if she was feral and Pink was in her nest with the geodes. While she was sure she wouldn't mind, it was still at the front of her thoughts, and she couldn't be sure that nothing wouldn't happen and she wouldn't be hurt because of it if she were to get in a feral gem's nest. She wasn't sure if Pearl would be feral or not, but it was better to be safe rather than risk being mauled by a gem trying to protect her geodes.

  


“I think this is good enough of a family shot for now. I'll make sure to take another when she wakes up if she's okay with it, and another when they hatch. I want to record every little moment of their lives once they do, but I obviously can't do that. Pearl doesn't like the recorder much, and I can't blame her. Poor thing. If nothing else, I'll take pictures every month or so. The data I read said that gemlings take a long time to develop to maturity, maybe ten, twenty solar cycles I believe, but I can't really remember exactly what the time frame was. Regardless, I'm going to take tons of pictures.” She paused as Pearl squirmed in her sleep, if only to open her eyes and shift to put a hand on Pink's lap.

  


“Pink Diamond?” Pearl mumbled softly, and Pink raised a brow, watching Pearl smile at the sight of her mate. It was good to see that Pearl wasn't feral, and seemed to be anything but. She was still the same warm gem that Pink had fallen in love with after the last hundred years since Pearl had been gifted to her. Pearl's original duty had been to carry her geodes and produce potential heirs, but she had never been one to force a pearl to do anything, let alone force her to be her mate and produce gemlings. This pearl was no different, especially since she was her Pearl.

  


“Yes, my Pearl? Do you need something? I can go get you a cup of water, or some nutritional gel. Or, if you'd prefer something else, I can get you something else for food, it wouldn't be a problem. Some muscle tissue from those funny little six-limbed things on Athera, or some of the blue plant reproductive organs you like from Lotharic?” Pink offered, only for Pearl to shake her head and yawn tiredly.

  


“No… Not right now. I just want you to sit with me. Please? The nest is plenty big enough, I made it so you could sit with me too,” she rasped quietly, her voice cracking occasionally. It made Pink wonder if perhaps Pearl had screamed herself hoarse when she had been laying. Given what she knew of her from the times they had mated, it sounded like Pearl. Once Pink had gotten her to open up, Pearl had quite the mouth on her and loved to use her voice whenever she got the chance, however loud it may be. It was a good thing that Pink had been the one to receive her, she couldn't imagine how the other diamonds would have reacted to having a pearl so loud, not that Pink would have changed a thing.

  


With a nod, Pink stood and carefully stepped into the nest, sitting down and being extra careful with making sure she didn't jostle Pearl or the geodes. She didn't dare disturb them, even if she was sure that Pearl wouldn't mind or protest if she did. She never seemed to mind what Pink did, and part of her wondered if that was healthy. They had plenty of time to work on that though, and she had every intention of trying to change the way Pearl acted towards her. “There we are. All situated. Is this better?” she asked, only to receive a nod in return as her lovely Pearl shifted to put her head on her lap.

  


“Much better,” Pearl murmured, one of her hands shifting and tugging at one of Pink's, pulling it away from the holopad. She shifted to hold it in one hand, her fingers interlacing with the spindly ones of her splendid Pearl. Their hands laid to rest on her lap beside Pearl's head, and Rose realised she desperately wanted to run her fingers through her locks and feel them between her fingers. She decided that there wasn't much left to record then, if only so that she could really appreciate the warmth emanating from her mate. It was natural, after all, since Pearl was going to be incubating the geodes against her and needed to keep them warm.

  


“I'm glad to hear it, my love. You should rest now, alright?” A smile was shared between them then, with a small nod from Pearl, before she was knocked out again, put into a state of exhausted resting by her gem's low energy state. With a warm smile, Pink turned back to the holopad and shifted it to get a good view of her adoring mate and their geodes. “Well, I should get going now… I don't think I have much to say. Pearl's asleep, and I just want to lay here with her a bit before she wakes up again. Pink Diamond out.”


End file.
